A Nigerian mother living in the United Kingdom has publicly accused authorities of gross negligence after her leaking ceiling collapsed directly onto her son's head, despite weeks of repeated complaints about the dangerous condition.
The Incident That Sparked Outrage
The distressed mother, who shared her experience through a TikTok video under the username @shalkels, revealed that she had made multiple reports to Manchester City Council about her leaking ceiling over an extended period. The authorities failed to take any meaningful action until the ceiling finally gave way and fell on her son, causing potential injury and immense emotional distress.
In her emotionally charged video caption, the woman expressed her frustration with what she described as a systemic failure: "In the UK these days, it feels like you have to suffer a tragedy before anyone takes your problems seriously. I reported my leaking ceiling several times, but no one acted until it fell on my son's head."
Public Reaction and Similar Experiences
The mother's video quickly garnered significant attention and sparked widespread discussion among viewers who shared similar experiences with neglectful authorities. Numerous commenters recounted their own struggles with delayed emergency responses and inadequate housing maintenance.
One commenter named FUNMYTE & MORE?? noted the concerning pattern: "they will ask is the patient still breathing?, if you say yes still breathing peren, be expecting them 20 years later."
Another user, IBUKUN PETERS, shared a harrowing experience from their work as a domiciliary caregiver: "I swear, I'm a domiciliary worker, my client was purging badly that morning, I called ambulance around 10am, guess what time they came?? 9pm and I'm not capping. My client sadly..."
Perhaps most alarmingly, TIMZY revealed: "My friend called ambulance for me some weeks ago...they're asking if I was still breathing, my friend had to lie that I was not breathing again before they could come..."
A Pattern of Neglect and Delayed Action
Another commenter named Rabby shared a story that closely mirrored the original poster's experience: "My ceiling was leaking for almost 2 years now, you call them and when they come, they do cheap work and go. My due date was close too. I withheld their rent money for 3 months plus and told them I will report them to police and social services. They came the next day to fix everything."
This pattern suggests that many residents feel forced to take extreme measures to receive basic maintenance and safety repairs from housing authorities. The commenter's strategy of withholding rent and threatening official reports ultimately prompted immediate action from the landlords.
Esther Ben expressed the sentiment shared by many viewers: "It's so sad that they will always wait for situations to get worse before taking actions ?hope your child is okay."
The incident has highlighted what appears to be a broader issue affecting numerous residents, particularly within the Nigerian and broader immigrant communities in the UK. The mother's experience has become a rallying point for others who feel their safety concerns have been similarly dismissed until situations reached crisis levels.
