DEATH is cheap in Nigeria. For proof, look at the seven citizens who died recently during a sales bazaar at the Nigerian Customs Service office, in Yaba, Lagos, as residents desperate for affordable food were caught in a stampede. This is double jeopardy for the masses, most of who are in the throes of economic privation. It is a lesson for the Customs and other MDAs, as it is easy to turn a good cause to a fatal one because of shoddy organisation.
First, the February 23 incident stemmed primarily from economic hardship exacerbated by negligence. Seeing a ray of hope out of starvation, thousands of people thronged the Customs’ office in Yaba to buy a 25-kilogramme bag of rice sold for N10,000. These days, the 25kg bag goes for about N35,000 or more in the market, made so by naira’s devaluation.
Instantly, the tragedy led to the suspension of the initiative by the Customs, which said that its motive was to help the vulnerable from the rice it seized from economic saboteurs. But two weeks after the ghastly incident, not much is heard from the Customs authorities.
This is a stark reminder that there is hunger in the land, aggravated by the twin economic policies of President Bola Tinubu to dispense with petrol subsidy and float the naira. Consequently, millions are being pushed below the poverty line. The World Bank noted that about seven million Nigerians plunged into the poverty hole because of government’s policy, adding to the 133 million multidimensionally poor people reported by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2022.
According to official figures, over 65 per cent of Nigerians live below the poverty line, with many unable to access nutritious food regularly. The hunger rate in Nigeria continues to escalate, with vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly, bearing the brunt of food insecurity.
In Nigeria, the government holds citizens in derision. Its agencies lack the capacity and logistics in service provision. Since 2020, Nigerians have suffered untold hardship to register for their National Identity Number. To acquire the Nigerian passport, pay tax, or a driving licence is a Herculean task. For no fault of their own, vehicle owners suffer arrest for fading number plates they bought from government. This makes life frustrating, and a perpetual struggle.
The Lagos stampede is reminiscent of the tragedy that occurred in March 2014 during a recruitment exercise by the Nigeria Immigration Service. Starved of jobs, over 64,000 youths trooped to the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja during the screening for employment. In the stampede that ensued, 15 applicants lost their lives, leading the NIS to suspend the screening.
Already, Femi Falana (SAN), has waded into the tragedy by asking the NCS to compensate the families of the bereaved. Failing this, he said he would file a suit in court to press home the demand for compensation. It is important for the NCS to do so.
To ameliorate the 2014 NIS disaster, the then President, Goodluck Jonathan, offered N5 million cash reward to the 15 families of the deceased and directed the NIS to give their relatives 35 automatic job slots. Those injured, about 60, were also compensated with automatic jobs on the orders of Jonathan.
Likewise, the NCS must identify the families of the deceased citizens with a view to paying them adequate compensation.
More than that, it is imperative that the Bola Tinubu administration address the root causes of the economic hardship plaguing the citizens. The stampede at the Customs office is not merely an isolated incident but a symptom of a larger crisis of poverty, inequality, and hunger tormenting Nigerian citizens.
The NCS, in collaboration with relevant agencies, must develop robust safety protocols to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
END
Be the first to comment