SYNAGOGUE COLLAPSE: PRESIDENT JONATHAN VISITS - EXPRESSES GRIEF

President Goodluck Jona­than yesterday visited the scene of the collapsed guest house at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCAN), in Ikotun, Lagos, where about 84 persons died and many others sustained injuries.

While commiserating with the General Overseer of the church, Prophet Temitope Joshua and the church members, the President hinted that  he had summoned a meeting of all the 36 state gov­ernors to take policy decisions in respect of erecting high rise build­ings anywhere in the country to avert future collapse of buildings.

Though, he did not disclose when the meeting would hold, Jonathan said it would take policy decisions that would prevent use of defective structures in build­ings, strengthening regulations concerning high rise buildings, among others. Jonathan described the incident as “very sad story and very sad incident.” He particularly condoled with the South African people and the President, Jacob Zuma, whom, he said, he had al­ready spoken to and expressed the nation’s condolences.

The President said: “Today when I arrive Lagos, my first port of call was where a six-storey building collapsed and 80 people confirmed dead, about 131 people injured. “It is a very sad story, very sad incident to us and the interna­tional community because most of the people that died in that build­ing collapse were not Nigerians. In fact, majority of them are South Africans.

“I spoke to the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma to first express our own sentiments and condolences to the President and people of that country.”

The house which serves as residential building for visitors to the Church, collapsed about 12.45 pm on Friday, September 12.

Prophet T. B. Joshua, alleged that the collapse of the building was caused by an attack on the Church, arguing that it was  beyond the allegation of structural defects.

He alleged that a plane hovered four times around the building be­fore it suddenly collapsed at ex­actly 12.44 pm. The South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni was reported to have said that there could be more than 84 South Africans who died in the incident.

According to him “The num­ber has risen from 67 to 84, with more bodies discovered on Thursday. The number of South Africans who were in the church might be higher, as we believe that some people organised the trip themselves without using travel agents.”