Some of the victims of Wednesday night’s building collapse in Abuja have described how they almost avoided death by a whisker.
This came when they appealed to the government and well-meaning citizens for assistance.
About 31 people who were rescued and sent to various hospitals for treatment have been discharged after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, waived off their medical fees.
However, officials of the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat, who visited the victims, said four victims were still receiving treatment.
They said their visit was to ascertain the level of compliance with the ministerial directive to give the injured persons free treatment.
The team led by the Acting Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat, HHSS, Malan Noel Haruna, said: “We are here in compliance with his directive. We have gone round some of the hospitals and we have seen their conditions.
“So far, four victims are still receiving treatment in hospitals, 31 have been treated and discharged, while two have died.
“We have directed the victims to write the bills and forward them through the FCT Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, to the health secretariat for onward submission to the Permanent Secretary.” At the Asokoro General Hospital where eight patients were taken to, seven had been discharged and one, Abdulsalami Modibbo, was still on treatment.
Narrating his experience, Modibbo said: “I was in my room on the first floor when the building collapsed. I was trying to help myself when a boulder fell on my leg, causing a fracture.”
The Chief Nursing Officer at the hospital, Mrs Aishatu Tenebe, said eight victims were brought to the facility and that seven were treated and discharged.
At Cedar Crest Hospital in Gwarinpa, a victim, Mr. Garba Nagoma, was elated when he learned that his hospital bills would be settled by the FCT Minister. Nagoma said his brother had already paid N500,000 to the hospital as an initial deposit
The victim said he visited his friend who resides on the first floor of the building when it caved in.
“We were having a conversation when one of our friends alerted us that the building was about to collapse.
“We dashed to escape but we were late. The building collapsed with us while we were still on the first floor, and I survived with a fracture”, he added.