By Taiwo Olapade
In less than a week, the nation has recorded approximately 80 deaths resulting from the free distribution of food and other items to vulnerable and hungry Nigerians. While the intention was to bring smiles to their faces ahead of the Yuletide season, it has tragically led to heartbreak and sorrow instead.
The Police yesterday confirmed that 10 people, including four children, lost their lives in a stampede during food palliative distribution by the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja. Similarly, over 30 people were feared dead at a charity event held at the Obijackson Centre, Okija, Anambra State, where rice and other items were being distributed by a philanthropist.
These incidents come just days after a stampede claimed 35 lives and left seven injured during a funfair on December 18 at the Islamic High School in Ibadan, where cash and food items were distributed to the needy.
There is no better way to describe these tragedies than as a failure of the state. Nigeria, as a country, has failed these innocent and vulnerable people, including children, who lost their lives in the search for basic sustenance. It is heartbreaking and deeply pathetic that people are dying just to get food.
When I said earlier that these incidents are a failure of the state, I stand by it. Why must Nigerians be turned into beggars in their own country—a country blessed with abundant wealth and natural resources? Clearly, authorities at the federal, state, and local government levels have woefully failed in their constitutional responsibilities to protect lives, provide basic necessities, and ensure the welfare of the citizens.
In Surulere, where I live, institutions like the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Masha and St. Barth Catholic Church in Coker-Aguda have sustained traditions of orderly food distribution to residents, ensuring that people from far and near benefit from their largesse without incidents. This should be the standard.
Yet, it appears we refuse to learn from past experiences. While the Police blame event organisers for not involving them for proper crowd control, they forget the tragic loss of lives during the Nigeria Customs’ sale of seized rice at its Onike office in Lagos.
The Police must reveal the outcome of their investigations into these palliative distribution tragedies. Many Nigerians believe that the intention of the organisers was never to shed innocent blood.
I strongly demand that the government pay compensation to the families of the victims of these tragedies and cover the full medical bills of those still receiving treatment in various hospitals.
Instead of halting all planned palliative distributions due to these unfortunate incidents, organisers must ensure proper crowd control mechanisms are in place by involving security operatives. This is a lesson we cannot afford to ignore.
May God bless the souls of the departed and grant strength to their families to bear these monumental losses. Amen.
•Taiwo Olapade is a broadcast journalist based in Lagos.
