By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi is greatly pained over the unfortunate loss of lives in the three separate freebies stampede tragedies which happened in Ibadan and Ihiala in Oyo and Anambra statees respectively as well as in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) within a week.
This is even as he has posited that the induced hunger has turned Nigeria into death field, adding that it is very hard to explain that in a country so blessed with abundant God’s given resources people are dying of hunger in such huge numbers.
Obi who made his position known via his social media handle called attention for the umpteenth time to the tragedy that Nigeria has become under the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Said he: “How do we explain that in a nation blessed with abundant resources, our people are dying of hunger in such numbers? How is it possible that we cannot feed our citizens despite the vast, fertile lands our nation is endowed with? My heart bleeds”.
The former Anambra state governor, who spoke against the backdrop of the death of about 60 people in less than a week, through stampede which claimed 35 souls in Ibadan; 19 in Anambra and 10 persons in Abuja, three cities across the Nigeria while scrambling for free food expressed sorrow at the outcome of such adventures, saying the situation was quite contradictory.
The Ibadan tragedy which happened on Wednesday, occurred at a palliative distribution centre slated for about 5,000 children, while the Anambra incident took place in Okija, Ihiala Local Government Area, where some women were said to have gone to get free rice, a yearly affair championed by Obijackson Foundation, a local philanthropic group in the state, with the third incident, also on Saturday, reported to have taken place at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, where the elderly and the indigent went to get some palliatives.
But lamenting the situation, a palpably disturbed Obi wrote: “I am deeply saddened and distressed by the tragic loss of lives in desperate searches for food. A few days ago, about 35 people, mostly children, lost their lives in a stampede at a Christmas Funfair in Ibadan, Oyo State. This morning, reports emerged of at least 10 people losing their lives in Abuja while scrambling for palliatives, with many others injured.
“Now, I just heard that about 19 more lives were lost in another stampede in Okija, Anambra State, as people struggled to receive food items. While appreciating the organisers of the events for their kind gestures in providing support to the needy, Obi stated that the incidents were reflective of systemic failures within the country.
“While I will not cast blame, but instead appreciate the organisers of these respective events for their kind gestures in providing palliatives and support to society, especially the poor, these tragedies reflect the systemic failures that plague our society. The desperate quest for survival in these harsh economic times has driven our people to extremes in their search for food, often at the cost of their lives.”
Empathising with the affected families, Obi added: “One can only imagine the pain their families are enduring at this moment. My heart goes out to them.
I sincerely commiserate with all the affected families and the good people of Oyo, Anambra, and the FCT over these tragic incidents. May God grant them, and all of us, the strength to bear these painful losses.
May God Almighty grant the departed souls eternal rest, and may the injured recover swiftly.”
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