The Cocoa House tragedy

ON Monday, June 2, tragedy struck in Ibadan, Oyo State, as a young man later identified as a 22-year-old graduate of the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Feranmi Akin-Akinye, fell from one of the top floors of Cocoa House, Ibadan. Reports said that the deceased fell from the 26th floor of the building, and first landed on the rooftop of the security post before finally hitting the ground, a most terrifying sight to behold. He was said to be working for a company within the premises. According to a source, the victim had resumed work on the fateful day and had reportedly been instructed to mount a large wall banner at the top of Cocoa House, a task typically reserved for professionals equipped with the appropriate machinery.  He had consequently gone with some of his colleagues to the top floor of the building to mount the banner. However, during the process, the frame on which he stood crumbled,  and he tragically fell to his death. Following the incident, a statement signed by Victor Ayetoro, the Head of Branding and Communication, Odu’a Investment Company Limited, the firm managing Cocoa House, expressed deep concern over the incident. The statement confirmed that the victim was promptly attended to by the emergency response team and rushed to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, for urgent medical attention. It said: “The company expresses deep concerns over the development and assures the public of its full cooperation with authorities investigating the cause of the fall.”

According to reports, Akin-Akinye, who was reportedly undergoing training in cybersecurity at the time of the incident, lived with his mother in the Meridian area of Apata, Ibadan, while his father was based in the United States. Said a neighbour of his character: “He came from a good home; he was very humble and respectful. He had a car his parents gave him, but you’d never know from the way he carried himself.” Subsequently, a funeral was held for the deceased at a branch of the Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel.

This incident is saddening, to say the least. The skyscraper called Cocoa House was completed in July 1964 and commissioned in July 1965 by the government of the defunct Western Region. At a height of 105 metres, it is famous for being the first skyscraper in West Africa, and in fact was, from 1965 to 1979, the tallest building in Nigeria. The building today houses offices of major firms and broadcasting companies, and to have fallen from the height indicated in reports of the incident under reference must have been a dizzying, horrendous incident. It is saddening and distressing, particularly as it could have been prevented if proper steps had been taken in carrying out the assignment which reportedly claimed the life of the victim.

In this case, a young man who had a lot ahead of him died in extremely tragic but avoidable circumstances, and it is crucial to find out what led to the tragic outcome. If indeed the deceased was directed to mount certain banners on the wall without adequate safety measures put in place, then it is necessary to ask his supervisors questions. If, on the other hand, proper safety measures were indeed taken, then it is imperative to ask what went wrong, and to take concrete steps to avert a recurrence. Prevention, they say, is better than cure and when incidents such as the one under reference happen, much can be gained by probing them and ensuring that punishment, where applicable, is meted out to those whose negligence occasioned them, and preventive steps taken to forestall a recurrence. At any rate, the state has a bounden duty to learn from tragedies of this nature and take firmer steps to safeguard human life. The police should investigate this incident thoroughly.

We commiserate with the family and friends of the deceased. No doubt, they have lost someone so dear to their hearts and will never forget this incident. It is a terrible thing to lose one’s child and we hope that the parents of the deceased will have the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Regardless of the tragic nature of this incident, it is instructive that the deceased died while working with a firm. He was not a menace to the society, and could certainly not have been referred to under any circumstances by the pejorative term, “lazy Nigerian youth.” Hopefully, that should comfort the family.

 May the soul of Feranmi Akin-Akinye rest in sweet repose.

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