By James Ogunnaike
A member of the planning committee of the annual Penpushing Media anniversary, Mrs. Oluwaseun Sodiya, has died alongside her daughter, following the collapse of a two-storey building in Ajuwon, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The tragic incident occurred on Monday at OGS Bus Stop, Baale Road, Ajuwon, a border community between Ogun and Lagos states.
The collapsed structure reportedly housed two shops on the ground floor, with residential apartments on the upper floors.
Sodiya, a Senior Nursing Sister with the Ogun State Hospitals Management Board, was said to have been fleeing the building with her two children after noticing cracks and hearing unusual sounds from the structure when it suddenly caved in. While her son narrowly escaped, Sodiya and her daughter were trapped beneath the rubble.
Their bodies were recovered from the debris on Tuesday and deposited at the General Hospital, Ifo mortuary, where the deceased had previously worked.
According to a burial arrangement released by the family on Thursday, the 45-year-old and her daughter will be laid to rest on Friday at 11 a.m. at Akorede area, off Onipetesi Meji Bus Stop, Ajilete, Ogun State.
Meanwhile, the management, Editorial Board and planning committee of Penpushing Media have expressed deep sorrow over the death of Sodiya, describing her as a committed, dependable and proactive member of the organisation.
Chairman of the Editorial Board, Deaconess Olufunke Fadugba, said the news came as a devastating shock.
“Oh! What a sad development. The news of the collapsed building seemed so far away, not knowing that one of the victims was someone so close to us. May God grant Oluwaseun and her daughter eternal rest.”
Fadugba said Sodiya’s death would leave a profound void, especially for her surviving son.
“Seun’s death will no doubt have a massive impact on everyone who knew her, particularly her son, who reportedly escaped by whiskers after running out of the building moments before it collapsed. He now has to face the painful reality of losing a mother who had been striving almost single-handedly to care for her children. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.”
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the cause of the building collapse.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, the governor said preliminary findings by a multi-agency investigative team indicated that the building suffered catastrophic structural failure.
“The structural failure caused the lower floors to sink into the ground, leaving only parts of the upper slab visible above the rubble,” Akinmade stated.
He disclosed that eyewitnesses reported the building collapsed at about 3 p.m., shortly after a heavy downpour accompanied by thunderstorms and a reported lightning strike.
According to him, emergency responders, including officials of the Ogun State Safety Office, State Fire Service, Ministries of Environment, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Works and Infrastructure, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Ifo Local Government Water and Environmental Sanitation Department, responded immediately to the scene.
Akinmade added that contractors handling projects within the Akute-Alagbole and Agbado axis deployed heavy equipment to the site less than 10 minutes after the incident to support rescue operations.
The state government, however, stressed that although the rainfall preceded the collapse, only comprehensive structural, geotechnical and forensic engineering investigations would determine whether the disaster resulted from foundation defects, soil instability, construction flaws, the use of substandard materials or other underlying factors.
He said Governor Abiodun had directed experts from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Ogun State Building Control Agency, Building Production Management and Material Testing Agency, as well as other relevant agencies, to carry out detailed structural, soil and material assessments and inspect adjoining buildings for possible structural compromise.
The governor also assured affected residents of government support, warning that anyone found to have violated building regulations, deviated from approved plans or compromised construction standards would face prosecution.
Ogun State Government also commended the Lagos State Government for its prompt intervention, describing the collaboration as a demonstration of the strong partnership between the neighbouring states in safeguarding lives and property.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the enforcement of physical planning regulations and urged developers, builders and residents to obtain all statutory approvals and strictly adhere to approved building plans and construction standards to prevent future tragedies.
