Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed deep sorrow over recent stampedes that claimed dozens of lives across Nigeria, highlighting the growing desperation for food amid economic hardship.
In a statement on Friday, Obi mourned the loss of lives in Ibadan, Oyo State, where a stampede during a Christmas funfair led to the death of about 35 people, mostly children. “I am deeply saddened and distressed by the tragic loss of lives in desperate searches for food,” Obi said.
He also reacted to reports of another stampede in Abuja, where at least 10 people reportedly died while scrambling for palliatives, with several others injured. “Now, I just heard that about 19 more lives were lost in Okija, Anambra State, as people struggled to receive food items,” he added.
Obi commended the organizers of these events for their humanitarian efforts but criticized systemic issues exacerbating hunger and poverty. “These tragedies reflect the systemic failures that plague our society,” he noted. “How do we explain that in a nation blessed with abundant resources, our people are dying of hunger in such numbers?”
The former governor of Anambra State extended his condolences to the bereaved families, saying, “One can only imagine the pain their families are enduring. My heart goes out to them.”
He prayed for the deceased, swift recovery for the injured, and strength for the grieving families, urging collective efforts to address the root causes of hunger in Nigeria. “May God Almighty grant the departed souls eternal rest and the injured a quick recovery,” Obi concluded.
