Poor Planning, Not Hardship, Behind Stampede Incidents — Tinubu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stated that the hunger currently experienced in Nigeria is not unique, as countries like the United States and the United Kingdom also have food banks where people queue for assistance.

Speaking during a media chat on Monday evening, the President dismissed claims that recent stampedes during palliative distributions were caused by economic hardship. Instead, he attributed the incidents to poor planning by event organizers.

“It is good to give. I have been giving out foodstuff commodities, including envelopes, in Bourdillon for the past 25 years. I have never experienced this kind of incident because we are organized and disciplined. If you know you don’t have enough to give, don’t attempt to or even publish it,” Tinubu said.

The President added that hunger and food banks are global phenomena. “Every society, even in America, they have food banks. In Britain, they have food banks and warehouses. But they are organized, they always stand in line and take turns to collect free food,” he noted.

His comments come after a series of tragic stampedes at palliative distribution centers across the country. Last Wednesday, about 40 children died in a stampede at a children’s fair in Ibadan, Oyo State. On Saturday, another stampede during rice distribution at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, claimed 10 lives. In a separate incident, at least 17 residents of Okija in Anambra State died in a similar tragedy.

Opposition parties, including the African Action Congress (AAC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have blamed the incidents on the worsening socioeconomic situation in the country. However, Tinubu dismissed these claims as baseless, reiterating that proper organization could have prevented the deaths.