Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on December 23, 2014

The National Executive Co-ordinator of Life Savers Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation, Mrs. Fola Shoetan, has described as unsatisfactory the approach of the officials of the National Emergency Management Agency and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency to the September 12 Synagogue Church Of All Nations building collapse.

Shoetan called for better training and re-orientation for the officials of NEMA and LASEMA, who she accused of closing daily at 10.30pm and resuming at 9am even when it was obvious that there were several dying victims still trapped under the rubbles.

She described as insincere the claim by the General Manager of LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, that officials of the agency were on ground 24 hours spearheading the rescue operations.

Shoetan also said that the government statutory responders to emergencies came ill-equipped for the task and were completely clueless about how to approach the operation based on its magnitude.

The school teacher testified on Tuesday at the coroners inquest into the death of about 116 persons killed in the Synagogues six-storey guest house.

She said, I dont know when NEMA officials left the scene on the first day, but LASEMA officials left at 10:30pm on the second day. As of the time LASEMA officials left on the second day, persons were still trapped under the rubbles.

Soetan added, The LASEMA General Manager, Dr. Femi Osanyintola, though he was very hard working and was always around at the collapsed site, but what he did most of the time that he was around was to hold meetings with his team from the state.

According to the witness, soon after Oke-Osanyintolu left, his men too would leave.

She said, Each time they were closing at 10.30pm, I will ask them: Are you going?

I did not sleep for five days, I only took my bath on the third day because there was no one that had human feelings that would be able to leave the site when he was hearing people crying for help from under the rubbles.

Read the rest here:

Synagogue: NEMA, LASEMA lack equipment, training, says witness

Category: Synagogue
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