Stampedes: Group asks FG to declare state of emergency on food production

A group known as Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development has called on security agencies to ensure safety at palliative distribution centres.

In less than two weeks, over 67 persons, including children, have died in Oyo, Anambra and the federal capital territory (FCT) in stampedes during palliative distributions.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Sani Shinkafi, the group’s executive director, described the incidents as “national tragedies”.

He asked security agencies to be proactive and ensure public safety and order at palliative distribution centres.

“No doubt the organisers of these welfare distributions had good intentions to touch the lives of the less privileged, the tragedies that followed make it imperative that security agents must be notified on time to ensure seamless distributions and forestall recurrence,” the statement reads.

“With over 36 million hectares of arable land in Nigeria, there ought not to be food shortage, hunger, starvation and disease.

“Governments at all levels should be committed to boosting agriculture, curb poverty, unemployment and insecurity in tandem with the provision of Section 14( 2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

Shinkafi said stampedes are evidence that there is “acute hunger and starvation in the country” which requires urgent government attention.

He said the government should declare a state of emergency in food production and make “adequate provision” for agriculture in the 2025 appropriation bill.

“Government should also recruit extension workers, provide incentives to farmers, particularly affordable, accessible and sustainable credit schemes for small, medium and large scale farmers to boost agriculture. The need for modern machinery for increased productivity cannot be overemphasized,” he said.

“Governments at all levels should urgently provide social amenities particularly access roads for effective and efficient transport of farm produce across the country and drastically reduce inflation now at 34.6%, the highest in three decades.”

Shinkafi said the government should “take governance seriously” by addressing the economic hardship in the country.