The Federal Government has condoled with the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic stampedes that occurred during food distribution exercises in Ibadan, Abuja, and Okija.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, in a statement issued by his Media Assistant, Malam Rabiu Ibrahim on Sunday in Abuja described the incident as unfortunate.
Idris said the tragedies are deeply saddening and underscore the importance of ensuring proper crowd management during such charitable activities, especially during the festive season.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by these incidents
“We acknowledge the noble intentions of organisers seeking to bring relief to vulnerable members of society.
“However, we want to admonish all individuals and organisations planning similar events to comply with the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun on liaising with the police formations for effective crowd control and security measures.
“Collaboration with the police and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), is crucial to safeguarding lives and ensuring that such efforts to assist those in need do not inadvertently lead to further distress,” Idris advised.
The Minister further appealed to politicians and other stakeholders to refrain from politicizing the unfortunate incidents.
He stressed that those tragic events were in no way connected to President Bola Tinubu 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”.
Idris said that Tinubu’s reforms, while repositioning the Nigerian economy for sustainable growth, are designed to uplift the lives of all Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable without causing distress.
The Minister 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. (NAN)
