Food stampedes mirror Nigeria’s poverty, misery, hunger- PDP

…Says APC pushing more Nigerians to early grace

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Sunday, described the widespread food stampedes that led to the untimely death of many Nigerians, including children, as the ugly testament of the alarming level of misery, poverty, hunger, starvation, sense of hopelessness faced by the people.

Debo Ologuagba, the party’s national publicity secretary, in a statement on Sunday, said the party viewed the ugly incident as a reflection of the people’s level of desperation for survival currently plaguing the nation ” under the overtly insensitive, corrupt and rudderless Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government”.

The tragic stampedes first occured at private events in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital , followed by that of Okija, in Anambra State, as well as the FCT, Abuja.

No fewer than 60 lives have been confirmed dead, as vulnerable citizens including children were rushing to access free food in their desperate struggle to tackle the pervasive hunger in the land occasioned by the harsh economic policies of the APC administration.

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The PDP said it is “devastating that the APC-led administration has wrecked our once thriving economy and pushed millions of Nigerians deeper into abject poverty and hunger with many citizens, not being able to afford their daily meals, now resorting to suicide and desperate measures including slavery mission abroad and fighting for crumbs for survival.

“It is heartbreaking that despite our abundant resources as a nation, Nigerians have been subjected to agonizing life where they die struggling for food”.

Recent reports have indicated that the high rate of inflation has made essential commodities inaccessible to millions of Nigerians.

According to the PDP, “This horrifying situation in the country further confirms the APC as a party of “political vampires and buccaneers” who have no iota of regard for human life but rather derive pleasure in the suffering and death of citizens including innocent children.

“Only this explains why the APC administration continues in arrogant false performance claims including empty assurances of food sufficiency while deliberately failing to make the required investments to boost the productive sector, particularly in agriculture and food production.

“This also explains why the APC administration has rejected all advice and suggestions by the PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians to review the hasty implementation of the suffocating policies of abrupt increase in the price of petroleum products and the floating of the Naira, despite the crippling consequences on the productive sector and life-discounting effect on the citizenry.”

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The party also accused the APC leaders of engaging ” in massive looting through direct pillaging of government vaults, budget padding, contract inflation, oil subsidy scam, palliative racketeering and phony programmes which have no benefit to the lives of the citizens”, instead of using the resources for the benefits of the citizens

The PDP called on Nigerians to hold the Tinubu-led APC administration responsible for the remote cause of these tragic occurrences for which it must recompense.

“Our Party insists that any administration that is sensitive and cares for the people would have since introduced intervention programmes to ease the suffering and improve on the welfare of the masses which is the primary purpose of government.

The party also called on the government to immediately review all the ” suffocating economic and tax policies of the APC administration which are bringing misery and death to Nigerians daily.”

The party, while commiserating with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state and the people of the State over the death of the children at the private event which has brought agony and pain to many families and the people of Oyo State, also commended the Governor for his rapid response in swiftly moving the victims to hospitals for immediate medical assistance which helped to save many lives.

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The Party also condoled with the families of the victims of the Anambra State and Abuja food stampede while calling for an investigation into the immediate cause of the three tragic incidents so as to prevent such sad occurrence in the future.