In the last one week, tales of sorrows, tears and blood have been the lot of ordinary Nigerians preparing for the Christmas festivities. From Ibadan to Anambra and Abuja, there have been avoidable losses in human lives, as a result of stampedes connected to the distribution of palliative food items.
At the core of these tragedies is the fact that the basic necessity of food has gone beyond the reach of the ordinary citizen. First, tragedy struck in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on December 18, where 35 children were reportedly crushed to death while struggling to get access to food at a Christmas funfair.
On December 21, in Okija Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, another stampede occurred with 22 lives lost so far, while more are receiving treatment for injuries sustained. In Abuja, the nation’s capital, a stampede at the Holy Trinity Church in Maitama, Abuja claimed the lives of 10 people, including four children. These tragedies, coming so close the yuletide have cast a dark pall on the end of the year celebrations. It is quite disturbing that in Nigeria of today, human beings can lose their lives while searching for what to eat.
There can be no mistaken the fact that these tragedies are the direct outcomes of the ill-conceived and hastily executed economic policies of the current administration. The deaths recorded are the direct human costs of the effects of the cost-of-living crisis, which has taken away basic necessities from the reach of the ordinary Nigerian. This medium also makes no mistake about the fact that the stampedes, which have been witnessed across Nigerian towns and cities come down to one issue; the harsh reality of hunger, which is afflicting millions of citizens. The grinding poverty in the land, has morphed into a high level of desperation.
It is also very clear that the level of desperation among citizens searching for just any means of subsistence and survival has our people to the point where they do not mind putting their lives on the line in search of the next meal. This situation, which has worsened since the coming on board of the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is unacceptable. It is disastrous and tragic in all proportions that despite all its riches, resources and material endowments, Nigeria will be witnessing these intolerable scenes where human beings will be crushed to death.
It is an indictment on Nigeria’s leadership and political elite that in the present day and age, Nigerians will lose their lives while looking for what to eat. It is not a good look that that the self-professed giant of the African continent would witness these disturbing scenes in which its citizens will crush themselves to death in the desperate search for the basic human need of food. This Hobbesian reality facing our country is not acceptable and all well-meaning citizens and organizations must speak up and ensure those responsible for this disastrous state of affairs are made to account and address the situation.
While we condole with the grieving families, which lost loved ones in these tragic incidents, it is important for collective pressure to be mounted on duty bearers to solve the problems, which they created in the first place.
Firstly, we recommend massive investments in agriculture to bring down the price of food. By using the 774 LGAs of the country as focal points, the government at federal, state and LGA levels must immediately design and implement emergency food production programs, which will clear up arable lands and get as many citizens as possible to grow food. Although, no number of condolences offered by the government would bring back the lives, government should not move quickly to address the fundamental issues responsible for the current level of hunger in the land.
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In the first place, the excruciatingly harsh policy of subsidy removal by the current government should be cushioned through cost effective and sustainable measures. The human costs of the policy have been to say the least, disastrous. It is time to realize that the policy has squeezed out the lifeblood of Nigerians and has impoverished them beyond what they have the capacity to bear.
The effects of the policy in terms of the galloping inflation it has left in its wake, is largely responsible for the hunger in the land. The reality is that Nigerians have never had it so bad, to the point that access to basic food and nutrition has become a herculean task. The government must therefore go beyond platitudes and take concrete steps to address the situation.
While we agree that organizers of food palliative distribution programs must do more by working with law enforcement agencies towards crowd control, such measures are basically addressing the symptoms or the effects of the real problem.
The real problem is the hunger, lack and destitution facing millions of already impoverished Nigerians. The sooner the government puts on its thinking cap to decisively address the issues, the better it will be for the country.
