Minister blames poor organization for Yuletide food queue stampedes, cites global parallels

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Nentawe Yilwatda, has attributed the tragic food queue stampedes during the 2024 Yuletide season in Nigeria to poor organizational planning by private distributors.

Speaking during Channels Television’s 2024 Year-End Review, Yilwatda highlighted that such incidents are not unique to Nigeria and have occurred even in developed countries.

“Stampedes have taken place in more developed countries than Nigeria,” the minister stated. Drawing comparisons, he referenced the chaos during food distribution after Hurricane Katrina in the United States and school food distribution programs in Texas. “In these cases, poor organization led to stampedes, just as we’ve seen here.”

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The holiday season was marred by three major food queue stampedes in Oyo, Anambra, and Abuja, resulting in the loss of approximately 70 lives. Many Nigerians have attributed the incidents to the worsening hunger crisis and soaring food prices. The private organizers behind the ill-fated distributions have since been detained by the police.

Yilwatda defended the Federal Government’s record, asserting that its relief distribution programs have avoided similar tragedies. “The Federal Government is the largest distributor of relief materials to the poorest of the poor in Nigeria, and we’ve never had a stampede,” he declared.

The minister urged private donors to partner with the ministry to ensure safer and more efficient relief distribution. “If you’re willing to donate, get the proper organization right or seek our help,” he advised.

The incidents have sparked widespread calls for better coordination and planning in addressing the growing hunger crisis in Nigeria, especially as economic pressures continue to push more citizens into poverty.

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