The LP said the stampedes had become one too many and that the loss of the magnitude of lives at a time when Nigeria was not facing any natural epidemic, was a pointer to the fact that hunger could be the worst epidemic a people can face.
The Labour Party (LP) has decried the death of at least 67 people who died in three stampedes that happened at a funfair in Ibadan, Oyo State, during palliative distribution in FCT, Abuja and Okija in Anambra State on December 18 and 21 respectively.
The opposition political party in a statement issued on Monday by its National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, said that hunger endemic unleashed on Nigerians by President Bola Tinubu's government has been killing Nigerians and has continued to drive many into crimes, thereby complicating the insecurity in the country.
Farouk said he is petrified over the stampede that claimed the lives of 67 Nigerians in the last few days in Oyo, Anambra states and the FCT.
The LP said the stampedes had become one too many and that the loss of the magnitude of lives at a time when Nigeria was not facing any natural epidemic, was a pointer to the fact that hunger could be the worst epidemic a people can face.
The party said, "As reported, about 40 children died during a stampede at a carnival in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, a few days ago. Also, 20 residents of Okija community in Anambra State lost their lives in a similar stampede. On the same day, more than 10 people died following a stampede in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja."
"All these unfortunate incidents occurred in similar circumstances. While one happened when one of the Catholic churches in the FCT was distributing food items to vulnerable persons, the Okija, Anambra state incident happened during a palliative distribution by a notable philanthropist.
"So also, the Ibadan, Oyo state was an event funded by a popular royalty. The bottomline is that there is hunger in the land.
"According to the World Bank, in 2023, the poverty rate in Nigeria was estimated to be 38.9%, with 87 million Nigerians living below the poverty line.
"But presently, the poverty rate in Nigeria is estimated to be 40.7%. This made Nigeria the second-largest poor population in the world, after India."
Farouk further said, "It is only poverty that made some Nigeria to go scooping fuel from accident scenes resulting in inferno which brought about hundreds of casualties. These happened on several occasions in the last one year.
"Also, the National Bureau of Statistics survey revealed that more than 2 million people have been kidnapped in Nigeria in the last one year and that Nigerians paid a cumulative $1.42 billion to kidnappers within the same period."
According to him, one major reason people resort to crime is due to hunger", stressing, "Nigerians in their millions have been subjected to hunger arising from other reasons such as rising inflation and poor economic management.
"The economic reforms of the Tinubu administration have caused untold hardship to Nigerians. Hunger is turning into an epidemic and not many people can survive this situation."
He said, "The Labour Party prior to the 2023 general elections had warned that unless we change our consumption policies to a productive policy, the economy will be in serious jeopardy.
"We are therefore calling on the government to scale down most of its agenda in 2025 and redirect its policies towards food production.
"Over 70 percent of Nigeria's land resources are laying waste. Aquatic economy is prostrate and the ministries in charge of these sectors should be made to function.
"Finally, protection of lives and property are the cardinal purpose of the government. But as we can see, the lives of Nigerians no longer matter that much."
Faruok noted that while a large number of Nigerians have been wasted by the butcher knife of the kidnappers, many simply get killed while trying to survive at all cost.
He said. "Nothing tangible is being done by the government to ameliorate the hunger crisis and check poverty level in Nigeria.
"The government must simply sit up and put their acts together. The statistics are not good, and enough of taking the people for granted."
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