By Gavin Mackintosh-
A church in Nigeria that collapsed last Saturday killing hundreds of people, had multiple structural faults and no building permit, according to regulators
Authorities instructed for construction to stop on numerous occasions, but were ignored.
Shamefully, the authorities failed to compel the construction to stop and allowed its continuance, leading to several deaths.
All the engineers involved in the construction have been asked to turn themselves in to police. The call comes late, as the police should have been called to enforce the instructions of the authorities. Even at this stage, the police should have forced the leaders of the church to reveal the identities of the engineers so they can facxe the music.
The precise number of deaths is uncertain, with many reports estimating it at over 160 were killed. Precision is important and should b certified in this shocking and terrible tragedy.
The roof of the church in Uyo, in Southern Nigeria caved in on worshippers who had gathered for the ordination of a bishop. The Bishop could not get obtained as a result, God must have disapproved.
The church was still under construction at the time, and workers had rushed to complete it for the ordination. It beggars belief that people would gatherin a church building only freshly constructed, though igonrance about the potential defects of a newly built building may be outside the understanding of those who gathered there.
The incredulous thing about the finding is the fact that engineers were warned not to proceed with the construction because of the defects, yet were not forced to stop. The building, meant as a place of worship, has now surely turned into devil’s party, with lots of sorrowful families with Christmas barely a week away.
This must be taken as a sign that the Bishop in question, waiting for ordination has been rejected by God. Religious Africans must surely read meaning into this disaster that preceded a consecration of a Bishop, one would have thought the Bishop would have seen the disaster in a dream and averted it.
An investigation will surely follow this horrifying and lamentable tragedy, but shame must be on the leaders of the church and the authorities who failed to stop the construction.