Bishop Kukah blames govt for food queue stampedes
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Nigeria, Matthew Kukah, has blamed the recent stampedes at food distribution centres in parts of the country, on what he describes as the failures of Nigerian governments to address mass hunger troubling the Nigerian masses.
Channels TV reports Kukah as saying this yesterday, in his Christmas message.
The stampedes broke out earlier in the month in Ibadan, Oyo State; Okija, Anambra Statesl; and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, with scores, including children, losing their lives.
Kukah is further quoted as explaining that the stampedes are a metaphor for the desperation that Nigerian citizens have been forced into.
“The tragedies that occurred in Okija, Ibadan, and Abuja where innocent people lost their lives in stampedes at food distribution points are a metaphor for the situation of desperation that citizens have been thrown into.
“The failures of government to respond concretely toward ending the horrible crisis of hunger and desperation has created the conditions for these avoidable tragedies. Citizens are lapsing into despair”, Kukah, known for his no-holds-barred commentaries on national issues, said.
For the bishop, the tragedies were avoidable, and that government needs to synergise with other institutions to promote the common good of the society, submitting, “It is the duty of government to ensure minimum dignity for our people.”