MOST Nigerians are celebrating the end of 2024, not necessarily because they achieved the significant economic success they desired at the start of the year, but for scaling through a year marked by acute hunger, inflation, deaths, and other ills.
President Bola Tinubu’s policies aimed at reviving the nation’s economy worsened household economies, as millions of Nigerians struggled to feed during the year.
Tinubu’s policies include fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification. The fuel subsidy removal alone more than quadrupled the price of petrol.
Since most economic activities depend on energy and transportation, the sharp rise in the litre price of petrol pushed the prices of virtually all commodities beyond the reach of the common man.
Efforts by the citizens to compel the government to alleviate the pains ended in a fiasco, as the #EndBadGovernance protest held nationwide from August 1 and 10 only led to the attack on demonstrators by security operatives with scores of the protesters hounded and remanded.
The level of chronic hunger in Nigeria was exposed to the world with three successive stampedes at venues of food distribution in Oyo and Anambra states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) a few days before Christmas.
About 75 people died in the stampedes.
On December 18, a deadly stampede occurred during a children’s funfair in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The event, meant to bring joy to children, turned tragic when 35 children were killed in the chaos.
The Oyo State Police Command arrested eight persons, including Naomi Silekunola, the former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Abdullahi Fasasi, the principal of Bashorun Islamic High School, and the chief executive officer of Agidigbo.FM, Oriyomi Amzat, following the stampede.
The suspects were subsequently arraigned in court and remanded at the Agodi Correctional Centre.
Olabisi Ogunkanmi, a chief magistrate, ordered their detention pending further investigation into the incident.
In Okija, Anambra State, the Obi Jackson Foundation’s rice distribution event turned deadly, with at least 20 people losing their lives in a stampede.
Similarly, on December 21, a stampede erupted during a food distribution event organised by the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, which led to the death of 10 people.
The event, aimed at providing food to vulnerable, elderly members of the community, saw a large crowd of desperate individuals attempting to receive aid. The surge of people overwhelmed the event, which consequently resulted in a fatal crush.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M