IT was meant to be a joyous occasion, a day to give back to the less privileged and put smiles on the faces of the downtrodden for the Christmas season. But it ended in tragedy. Up till now, the aftermath is still very visible on the faces of many in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Distraught parents who have lost their loved ones are still searching for an answer; those whose children are still in the hospitals, daily tending to their injuries. What was a highly-anticipated Christmas now looks very bleak.
In the spirit of giving back to the society during the yuletide, a non-governmental organization, WINGS Foundation, run by the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, Prophetess Naomi Silekunola, had the good intention of handling out N5,000 cash to 5,000 children.
That would have been done after they must have fed the children and played games and other sundry stuff that makes children happy. It didn’t matter that the children are from rich or poor homes. The idea was for them to play together and grow in love as one. The programme was schedules to start at 10A.M, but by 5A.M, the venue was already jam packed.
Thousands of children, many of them accompanied by their parent, had converged on Islamic High School, Ibadan, eagerly waiting to be part of the lucky ones to benefit from the handout. Perhaps, the organisers underestimated the level of hunger and deprivation that pervades the land. They also made a grave error when they partnered with a radio station based in Ibadan- Agidigbo FM to promote the event. The reach of the station was beyond the capability of the organisers. Many of those who reside in the outskirt of Ibadan also turned up for the event.
Before the programme commenced, but sensing danger, the organisers returned to the radio station to make an announcement urging people not to bother coming to the venue again. But it was too late. Over 8000 children and adults had converged at the venue, waiting for the organisers to start the event.
By the time the gate of the school was thrown open to allow the children in, there was a stampede which led to the death of 35 of them. Several others were injured with some still in the hospitals. Apparently, there was no proper crowd control mechanism in place. Security agents and first aid treatment was also absent, turning what should have been a day of joy into that of sorrow.
A distraught Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, ordered the arrest of the organisers of the event and directed security agents to carry out a comprehensive investigation into what led to the stampede. Already, seven people, including the ex-Queen Naomi and the Principal of the school have been arrested and detained. With President Bola Tinubu also interested in what went wrong in Ibadan, the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Egbetokun is now effectively in charge of the investigation.
But do we need to look far before coming up with what actually went wrong? Hunger. Poverty. Greed.
The nation was yet to come to term with the Ibadan tragedy when news broke of another stampede in Anambra as well as in the FCT. In the Anambra incident, no fewer than 22 persons died and many others injured during a stampede that occurred at the gate of the Charity Event at the Obijackson Centre in Amanranta, Okija, Ihiala LGA of Anambra State.
The stampede occurred at the venue of the sharing of palliatives, which included 25kg bags of rice, vegetable oil, and money. The victims, particularly elderly women and children, were trampled upon as they struggled to gain entrance amid a large and uncontrollable crowd.
In Abuja, 10 persons were confirmed dead at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, Abuja, during an outreach programme to distribute foodstuffs to the poor and the vulnerable in the community.
The death of the children at the Christmas carnival in Ibadan as well as the elderly in Anambra and Abuja highlights the extent of hunger and poverty bearing down on the country’s citizens. The hardship in the land where children, accompanied by their parents, had to leave home before dawn, hoping to be part of 5,000 that would benefit from a handout of N5,000 shows that there is hunger in the land.
The incident, has, again, highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s unprecedented high cost of living on the masses. Inflation has soared to a record high and citizens are battling the realities of a hugely eroded purchasing power. Even in Lagos few months ago, there was a bedlam as hungry Nigerians struggle to get a free loaf of bread. I will return to the Ibadan stampede shortly.
During the week, Nigerians were aghast when the distraught parents of Segun Olowookere, featured on a podcast hosted by Bisola Adebayo, to allege foul play in their son’s conviction and sentencing to death for stealing a fowl in 2014. Death by hanging for stealing a fowl was too much for many Nigerians, who took to social media to condemn the judgment. And I don’t blame them. In a country where many politicians who have stolen the country blind are still walking freely on the streets, many Nigerians called out the judge for what they believed was a harsh punishment for the young man. However, that is not the true account of what actually happened in court.
Olowookere and his accomplice, Morakinyo Sunday, were arrested in 2010, after attacking the homes of a police officer and another individual. Armed with a wooden dane gun and a sword, they managed to steal a fowl and other household utensils, but they were later caught. As at 2010, when the crime was committed, Segun Olowookere was a 17-year-old boy.
The duo were charged for armed robbery and other related crimes. In Nigeria, once you are arrested for armed robbery and caught with any weapon, the penalty is usually a death sentence. You can only escape death and sentenced to a minimum of 21-year imprisonment if you committed the act without any firearm or any offensive weapons in your possession.
Olowookere and his colleagues were armed as at the time of arrest, and it does not matter whether they stole a fowl or a kobo. Indeed, Justice Jide Falola of the Osun State High Court, while sentencing the duo, said that there was incontrovertible evidence that linked the crime to the accused and that the prosecution succeeded in proving the case beyond reasonable doubt, and sentenced the two men to death by hanging in 2014.
But using the power of the social media, Olowookere’s parents whipped up sentiment and got Nigerians on their side. Both Folashade and Olanrewaju Olowookere pleaded the innocence of their son, insisting that he was wrongfully convicted, and also alleging that he was framed by the police officer that handled the case.
Ademola Adeleke, the Osun State Governor, has now ordered an investigation into the matter and also directed his Attorney-general and Commissioner for Justice to work out a pardon for the duo. Adeleke should be told in clear term that he has no such power to investigate or call for a review of the judgment of any court in the state or elsewhere. What he can do is to provide free legal services to the parents to appeal the judgment or as he has rightly instructed, grant amnesty to the duo through the prerogative of mercy power that he wields.
Again, the parents of Olowookere should be told in clear terms that they failed in their role as parents to properly train their wards. It is on record that Segun Olowookere and his gang were a terror to the people of Odo-Otin Local government area of Osun State. He was arrested, arraigned in court, and was found guilty of the crime of armed robbery. If Nigerians are tired of getting armed robbers sentenced to death, we could as well amend the law, as many of their counterparts – the pen robbers, have a way of avoiding any punishment for their misdeeds.
Olowookere’s parents have succeeded in getting the attention of Adeleke, and with luck on their side with the promise of the state governor for state pardon, their son should be with them very soon. It is hoped that he would have learnt his lesson and turn a new leaf after his release.
With Christmas just a few hours away, how are Nigerians preparing for the celebration? In Nigeria, Christmas is not complete without the mandatory Rice and Chicken on the menu. However, I doubt if many families would be able to afford such a luxury this time around. A fowl that cost N10,000 few months ago is now sold for between N20,000 and N30,000, while Turkey goes for between 100,000 and N130,000. A bag of rice goes for between 95,000 and N105,000 in the market, depending on the brand. Other essential food items are also way beyond the reach of most Nigerians and hunger is now a daily companion of many. Yet, we seem to have leaders who are insensitive to the plight of the people.
Back to the stampedes in Ibadan, FCT and Anambra. It was hunger that was primarily responsible for the series of stampedes that claimed lives last week. The organisers did not bargain for the huge number of children alongside adults that turned out for the promised N5,000 cash gift. While the organisers should be commended for thinking of putting smiles on the faces of the poor during the festive season, they should have factored in crowd control as well as the provision of first aid treatment at the venue as part of preparations for the event.
The lesson to learn from the Ibadan stampede and that of Anambra and Abuja is that whoever is organizing any programme that would involve more than 1000 people should involve the police in their arrangement so that crowd control mechanism, first aid treatment, adequate toilet facilities, multiple entry and exit points should be factored into their preparations.
Our leaders have weaponized poverty among the masses and the result is all too glaring for all to see. There are several figures from many international and local agencies, calling government’s attention to hunger in the land in a country that is not at war. The previous government headed by Muhammadu Buhari established a special Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation but those in the Ministry, particularly their Head seem not to be concerned about alleviating anyone’s poverty but their own, thereby cornering most of the funds allocated to tackle the scourge.
Nigeria’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), a tool used to measure and reduce poverty in a country has consistently revealed that most Nigerians are poor. The 2022 MPI report for Nigeria found that 62.9 per cent of people in Nigeria are multidimensionally poor, meaning that they experience deprivations in more than one dimension.
Yet, this is a nation blessed by God with both human and natural resources. It is time for our leaders to sit tight and address the rampaging poverty in the land. If there is nothing for the poor to eat, they will definitely turn on the rich and make them their meal. I pray that Nigeria’s situation doesn’t get to that. May the soul of the deceased children in Ibadan, adults in Abuja and Anambra during the stampedes rest in peace.
Merry Christmas to all our readers.
See you next week.
- Akintunde is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Glittersonline newspaper. His syndicated column, Monday Discourse, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Mondays.