Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic stampede that claimed the lives of 35 children during a private funfair in Ibadan last December.
The event, organised by the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola and others, has drawn widespread attention, especially following her detention in connection with the incident.
In an emotional interview with Nigerian Tribune, Makinde expressed his regret over the tragic loss, stating that the children represented the future of the nation.
The governor lamented the extinguished potential of the young lives lost, adding, “Some of those children had the potential of becoming presidents, ministers, governors, and other great personalities, but now those dreams are dead.”
Makinde said, “When I look at the children, I think in my mind that it would have been better if we go and those children are still here with us since some of us have achieved some things. Among them, there were potential presidents, ministers, governors and all that, but those dreams are dead. We had potential inventors among them. So, looking at all of that, I said that celebrating birthday should be the last thing after that tragedy.
“People may think death happens, but this is totally different because of the people involved; they were very innocent and also because of the fact that this is something that could have been avoided if those involved had played their roles well and lived responsibly. That is why I said there won’t be birthday for me this year (2024), because we are seriously mourning. It’s very sad.”
Speaking on how the organizers could have avoided the situation that led to the death of the children, Makinde said, “It was avoidable. If the organisers and all that were involved had done what they were supposed to do, it would not have happened. No crowd control, no contact with the security agencies. There was no plan in place. And when this started, the Commissioner for Health sent me the message and the Chairman of the Hospital Management Board, but it was already too late. By that time, corpses of those children were already going to the mortuary. So, it is just so unfortunate and it is something that we have to really learn from.
“In 2024, two major avoidable incidents that led to loss of lives happened. On 16th of January, 2024, there was an explosion in Bodija, which was caused by some people who stored explosives in a residential area, and the residents had been seeing these things. Meanwhile, we have said if you see something, say something and put the blame on the authority if we cannot do something about it. Also, two weeks to the end of the year, the stampede incident came up.”