President Bola Tinubu says he has been sharing palliatives in his Lagos residence for 25 years without an incident, blaming recent food stampedes in the country on a poor organisation.
On December 18, 35 children were confirmed dead during a stampede that happened at a funfair event in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.
On December 21, 10 people, including children, also died in another stampede at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the Maitama district of Abuja during the distribution of palliatives.
Another 22 people were reported dead during a rice distribution event at Amaranta Stadium in Ojika, Ihiala LGA, on the same day.
Speaking during his first presidential media chat on Monday, Tinubu described the incidents as a “grave error” by the organisers.
But the president insisted that the incidents should not dampen the “happiness of the season”.
“It is very sad that people are not well organised. We just have to be more disciplined in our society. Condolences to those who lost members, but it is good to give,” Tinubu said.
“I’ve been giving out foodstuff and commodities, including envelopes in Bourdillon, for the last 25 years, and I’ve never experienced this kind of incident because we are organised and disciplined.
“If you know you won’t have enough to give, don’t attempt to give or publicise it.”
The president compared the situation to food banks in countries like the United States of America (USA) and Britain, while harping on their structured approach.
“Every society, even in America, has food banks. They have hungry people. In Britain, they have food banks and warehouses, and they are organised. They take turns lining up and collect,” he added.
“…It’s unfortunate and very sad, but we will continue to learn from our mistakes. I see this as a grave error on the part of the organisers, but things are improving. It doesn’t kill our happiness for the season; we should just get on with it.”
