Building Collapse and gas explosion in Nigeria: Lessons from the Hudson River -By Efe Agabi

Nigerians can choose to take photographs of victims after a fatal accident when the first thing to do is provide first aid. One will be forced to question the utility of those photographs and why sense of urgency is not demonstrated collectively to reduce fatalities by state actors when danger is lurking around. The professionalism demonstrated by Captain Sully and crew to avert a tragic event in the US elicited critical evaluation in peer review platforms. Researchers have attempted to dissect the disparity in disaster management between developed and developing countries of the world. One common denominator in the diverse approach to appraising the miracle of Hudson is the unprecedented collective action to ensure all passengers were expeditiously evacuated with only five injuries and no death. 

On 15 January, 2009, US Airways flight 1549 departed New York LaGuardia Airport at 3.25pm en route to Charlotte, North Carolinas. Ninety seconds after takeoff, the flight struck a flock of over 300 Canadian geese that caused the plane to lose thrust. All efforts to restart engines were futile, and it was evident that disaster was imminent. The Co Pilot Jeffery Skiles with over 20,000 hours of air travel experience was flying the aircraft but he recognized the imminent disaster and had to step aside for Captain Sully to take responsibility from the front seat. It was a situation that ordinarily warranted panic but Captain Sully was calm, and focused. Sully wanted a synergy of ideas and asked Jeff, do you have any idea? Certainly no Sir, the Onus was on Sully to save not his life alone, but the lives of 155 passengers who were still not aware of that they were are on the verge of liquidation.

He had to take a decision within seconds that would ensure the safety of 155 persons on board, there was no luxury of time for him to consider options unnecessarily, and it was not time for party. He radioed the airport which he just left to report what just transpired in few sentences with precise words. Recommendations from the airport for him to land at the Teterboro airport 10 miles away seemed untenable as he was not convinced that the plane can cover another 10 miles to the airport. He simply told the crew the plane would land on the Hudson River. The rest is history.

Disaster management is a critical factor in urban governance. Some disasters are fatal and inescapable when they occur as witnessed in the collapse of the high rise building, gas explosion in Lagos, and fallen trucks across the bad deplorable roads in Nigeria. Though not peculiar to developing nations, response to disasters in developed countries has evolved to leveraging on data and simulations to avert tragic events. But the case of ditching at the Hudson River is a remote case that required utmost professional conduct and collective action which is not obtainable in Nigeria. Academics contend that from when the plane took off to when all passengers were evacuated at the Hudson River was six minutes and within this short time, 156 lives would have been lost if there is no timely communication, teamwork and training to act when necessary. As Captain Sully rightly contended “Everything I had done in my career had in some way been a preparation for that moment” But the miracle of Hudson would not have happened if the Veteran Patrick Harton did not act swiftly. After the communication between Captain Sully and the airport, Patrick called fourteen different persons, heads of different agencies of government to activate processes for disaster management. He continued to follow up to ensure all directives were religiously adhered and all were on the same page with attention to details.  Before the plane was suspended inches above the Hudson River, police officers, boats,, 140 fire fighters, 65  ambulances and divers were already stationed, and waiting to act. It was reported that passengers did not know the plane would ditch at the Hudson to avoid panic. It exemplifies the depth of training and willingness to take responsibility by state actors in developed countries as against what obtains in Nigeria.

Another similar case was in 1967 when a bridge spanning the Ohio River in the US collapsed, under 60 seconds more than 35 vehicles plunged into the cold water with 46 fatalities out of 64 persons on board. As timely as the rescue operation, lives were lost; such would have been more catastrophic in Nigeria where it took more than one hour for rescue operatives to arrive the site of the collapsed high rise building in Lagos. In some cases the rescue teams would become helpless as they would be trapped in traffic or complain of lack of water when there is inferno as reported in sites of gas explosion. Forensic evaluation of the debris in Ohio Bridge revealed that the fracture would have been avoided if structural support was added after 40 years given the increase in vehicular movements and weight of freights. The tragic events became a reference point to evaluate existing bridges to avert tragedies. The case in Nigeria is different; we only rely on fate and faith as one cannot tell the number of bridges already overstretched and due for structural works.

One drawback is the lack of collective action when there is disaster which does not need any evaluation. Reports have it that the few persons that needed medical attention after evacuation at the Hudson River were not treated in one hospital; they had to distribute them quickly to different hospitals to guarantee timely and emergency response. Such cannot happen in Nigeria where the emergency units in hospitals do not render emergency service. Without exaggeration, a patient can spend 4 hours in the emergency unit without medical attention. What happens after a disaster in Nigeria? Investigations are shrouded in secrecy with no meaningful outcome. Everyone would move on waiting for when the next disaster would occur. Data showed that from 2005 to 2021, over 150 buildings have collapsed in Lagos with countless fallen trucks and gas explosions. In all the tragically reported events, lives were lost but there were no records of any collaborative model to casualties. The collapse of a building at the synagogue church of nations attracted national uproar but no one was held accountable for compromising standards to the detriment of lives. Nigerians moved on without seeking to know the true cause of the tragic incidence and as expected government did not bother. The general attitude of cutting corners has been adopted nationwide and it gives some sense of pride. People find pleasure in maneuvering processes in Nigeria to demonstrate they are connected to the person at the helm of affairs. Nigerian urban centres have been described as glorified cities given the low livability index. From the slums to the city centres, it is the same story of haphazard development, coalescing of different incoherent land uses and poor regulations. The failure of government to insist on Environmental impact assessment reflects in cases where a gas plant is located close to residential buildings. But there is no end in sight given the high patronage for informal land market and a blossoming informal sector. The manner businesses are located has increased susceptibility to dangers and one question that comes to mind is why residents would allow an entrepreneur to build a gas plant in a neighborhood without revolt. Indeed, Nigeria is facing crises that would require a political will and firm leadership to provoke strict compliance to standards. Condolence messages to the bereaved and stage managed probes with no commensurate sanctions and punishment for culpable state actors and engineers will not address the manner projects are located to endanger the lives of city dwellers. Amongst the various eulogies received by captain Sully, President Elect at the time, Barrack Obama described his heroic feat as a pure demonstration of the human spirit which is critical to nation building, the then President George Bush equally called Sully to recognize his courage to take a decision that stood out as unprecedented in the history of the aviation industry. Such is rare in our clime where Nigerians have lost the morale, and sense of patriotism to make huge sacrifices for the nation. The lack of recognition, poor remuneration and poor welfare package are some of the factors that de-motivate trained personnel.

One imperative that can be drawn from Captain Sully is that nations thrive on the strength of institutions and patriotism which are products of good governance. Another imperative is to strengthen intra and inter agency communication and synergy to provide expeditious responses to disasters when they occur. The nonchalant attitude which is commonplace in relevant institutions of government can be addressed with improvement in training and remuneration.