Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Sunday warned politicians against linking the stampedes that occurred at food distributions in Oyo, Anambra and Abuja to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms.
The stampedes, he stated, were caused by non-implementation of of crowd control strategies.
The Minister, who sympathised with the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic incidents which claimed over 70 lives, including about 40 children, said the reforms of the Tinubu administration did not cause the rush and desperation of Nigerians at the food distribution centres.
Idris said the reforms, while repositioning the Nigerian economy for sustainable growth, were designed to uplift the lives of all Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable without causing distress.
The Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, had blamed the stampedes on hunger and the systemic failures in Nigeria, amid widespread hardship in the country.
Idris, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant, Rabiu Ibrahim, said the tragedies underscored the importance of ensuring proper crowd management during such charitable activities, especially in the festive season.
He acknowledged the noble intentions of organisers seeking to bring relief to vulnerable members of society and admonished all individuals and organisations planning similar events to comply with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun on liaising with the police formations for effective crowd control and security measures.
He emphasised that collaboration with the police and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was crucial to safeguarding lives and ensuring that such efforts to assist those in need do not inadvertently lead to further distress.
Idris appealed to politicians and other stakeholders to refrain from politicising the unfortunate incidents, stressing that those tragic events were 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.
