The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said the widespread food stampede in the country is an ugly testament to the alarming level of misery, poverty, hunger, starvation, sense of hopelessness and desperation for survival currently plaguing the nation under Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government.
PDP in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, lamented the tragic stampede at private events in Oyo and Anambra States as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja noted, claimed the lives of about 60 citizens including children.
The party blamed the deaths on people’s desperate search for food, occasioned by the APC’s harsh economic policy.
PDP stated that the APC administration has pushed millions of Nigerians deeper into abject poverty and hunger with many citizens, not being able to afford their daily meals.
“It is heartbreaking that despite our abundant resources as a nation, Nigerians have been subjected to agonising life where they die struggling for food.
“This horrifying situation in the country further confirms the APC as a party of political vampires and buccaneers who have no iota of regard for human life but rather derive pleasure in the suffering and death of citizens including innocent children,” the party said.
It accused the APC administration of false performance claims, including the empty assurances of food sufficiency “while deliberately failing to make the required investments to boost the productive sector, particularly in agriculture and food production.”
According to the PDP, this also explains why the APC administration has rejected all advice and suggestions to review the hasty implementation of the suffocating policies of abrupt increase in the price of petroleum products and the floating of the Naira, despite the crippling consequences on the productive sector and life-discounting effect on the citizenry.
“More provoking is that instead of deploying the nation’s resources for the wellbeing of the people, the APC leaders are engaged in massive looting through direct pillaging of government vaults, budget padding, contract inflation, oil subsidy scam, palliative racketeering and phoney programmes which have no benefit to the lives of the citizens,” the country alleged.
It called on Nigerians to hold the Tinubu-led APC administration responsible for the remote cause of these tragic occurrences for which it must recompense.
“Our party insists that any administration that is sensitive and cares for the people would have since introduced intervention programmes to ease the suffering and improve on the welfare of the masses which is the primary purpose of government.
“For the umpteenth time, the PDP demands the immediate review of all the suffocating economic and tax policies of the APC administration which are bringing misery and death to Nigerians daily,” the statement demanded.
