The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on behalf of the Federation Government, has issued an advisory on public events, as a measure to avoid stampede and deaths as recorded across the nation in recent times.
He also expressed his condolences to families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the tragic stampedes that occurred during food distribution exercises in Ibadan, Abuja, and Okija.
A statement by Ratbiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, quoted Idris as saying: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by these unfortunate incidents.”
The Minister said that the tragedies were deeply saddening and underscored the importance of ensuring proper crowd management during such charitable activities, especially during the festive season.
While acknowledging the noble intentions of organisers seeking to bring relief to vulnerable members of society, the Minister strongly admonishes all individuals and organisations planning similar events to liaise with the police and other law enforcement agencies for effective crowd control and security measures.
He emphasised that collaboration with law enforcement agencies was crucial to safeguarding lives and ensuring that such efforts to assist those in need do not inadvertently lead to further distress.
The Minister 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.
Idris said the reforms, while repositioning the Nigerian economy for sustainable growth, are designed to uplift the lives of all Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable, without causing distress.
He called for a collective sense of responsibility and urged citizens to unite and ensure that the Yuletide season is marked by peace, goodwill, and joy, devoid of preventable tragedies.
