By Daud Olatunji

Thirteen days after the death of her bread winner, who died at the collapse of the newly constructed Ogun State Government’s   ultra modern   complex at Itoku   market,   Abeokuta, the aged mother of the   deceased Mrs. Wurimotu Sikiru has begged the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun   for his attention.

•Mother of the deceased Mrs. Wurimotu Sikiru with the children

The incident has killed a woman ,   identified as Noyinmotu Sikiru who was   one of the casual workers at the site while   several workers   sustained various degrees of injury.

Vanguard had reported that,   the state governor,   Senator Ibikunle Amosun had rushed to   the site a few hours after the incident and did not leave until everyone trapped in the collapsed building was removed and treated.

Government’s   assistance

But, further findings have shown that   though, everyone that sustained injuries were taken care as the hospital bill was paid,   the family of the only dead site worker was   yet to be visited by the state government. Noyimotu Sikiru is survived by and aged mother   and   two   children;   Qoyum , four, and Sodiq one year . She was also survived by   a husband , though they separated .

A visit to the   bereaved aged   mother at her Emere   residence in Abeokuta , revealed that the deceased family needed the state government’s   assistance for the upkeep of the aged mother and the two   children. On getting to the   House which was   made of mud painted in   light blue and covered with a zinc roof, the aged mother   who was in a sorrowful mood as she   carried   the second child of her late daughter,   Sodiq,   who was playfully disturbing his grandmother.

Obviously, the family was   still mourning the death of   their breadwinner thirteen days after the incident , as the aged mother lamented: “I am a widow and cannot go to work since the demise of my husband. Since then, it was Noyimotu that provided for my daily meals, now   Amosun’s building has taken away my benefactor, how do I feed myself with her children she   left behind”, Mrs. Sikiru queried.

When asked whether the State Government has visited the family since the incident, the bereaved mother said “since the accident occured,   no government official or the Governor himself has come. The government has not done anything to assist me and the children. I have not seen anybody, I have not seen Governor Amosun, neither has he sent anybody to me.”

Narrating her ordeal as a result of the death of her daughter who incidentally was her breadwinner,   Mrs, Wuriwatu Sikiru said, “I felt bad, it was a   very painful experience for me, because   I suffered so much for my daughter before   she grew up. I was not at home when the incident happened, I was   in Lagos then”. Responding to the question in how her daughter became a site worker,   she said somebody introduced the work to her and brought her to the site where she was working as a concrete   carrier.

“In fact, she was one of the workers during the construction of other   market building at the market, even the stall that was built under the bridge at Itoku market, my daughter was   part of the workers . “The day before she died she only came to my house to carry her second child, because I wanted to travel to Lagos. On that fateful day I was not at home she took her little son to the site, but   put the him in the   care of another person since the nature of the job did   not allow anyone to bring her   children to the site, before the incident happened.”