The Federal Government on Sunday condoled with families of the victims of weekend’s stampedes in Anamabra, Abuja where no fewer than 39 people died.
It also commiserated with the families of the kids crushed to death on Wednesday in Ibadan.
The three disasters occurred during attempts to share palliatives to the vulnerable.
Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris, who conveyed the condolences, however, cautioned those politicising the unfortunate incidents, saying Tinubu’s reset of the economy has nothing to do with the stampedes deaths.
Idris said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by these unfortunate incidents.”
The minister said the tragedies were deeply saddening and underscored the importance of ensuring proper crowd management during such charitable activities, especially during the festive season.
Acknowledging the noble intentions of organisers seeking to bring relief to vulnerable members of society, the minister admonished all individuals and organisations planning similar events to comply with the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun on liaising with the police formations for effective crowd control and security measures.
According to him, collaboration with the police and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), is crucial to safeguarding lives and ensuring that such efforts to assist those in need do not inadvertently lead to further distress.
The minister also urged politicians and other stakeholders to refrain from politicising the unfortunate incidents, stressing that those tragic events are in no way connected to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s economic reforms.
“It is worth noting that similar unfortunate occurrences have been recorded in the past, before the current administration, as such, making any attempt to link these tragedies to the President’s reforms is unfounded and disingenuous,” he said.
Idris added that the reforms, while repositioning the Nigerian economy for sustainable growth, are designed to uplift the lives of all Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable without causing distress.
The minister called for a collective sense of responsibility and urged citizens to unite and ensure that the Yuletide season is marked by peace, goodwill, and joy, devoid of preventable tragedies.
The Police in Anambra State on Sunday put the death toll in the Okija tragedy at 22. Some attendees were also injured during the distribution of bags of rice by a non-profit making organisation, ObiJackson Foundation to the less-privileged on Saturday.
The FCT Police Command as of yesterday gave no death figure on the tragedy at the venue of palliative distribution by Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama.
But the PDP and the Labour Party Presidential candidate in the 2023 election had said the “anti-people policies,” by the All Progressives Congress-led government had exacerbated poverty and created widespread hunger across the nation.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP said the “anti-people policies,” including fuel subsidy removal and floating of the naira were key contributors to the nation’s economic struggles.
