The Southwest chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has attributed the harsh economic situation in the country to the tragic stampede at a children’s Christmas funfair in Ibadan, which claimed the lives of 40 children and left many injured.
Naija News reports that the stampede occurred on Wednesday at an event offering free festivities for children, drawing a massive crowd that led to the unfortunate incident.
In a statement issued on Friday in Ado Ekiti, the PDP Southwest Publicity Secretary, Sanya Atofarati, sympathised with the state Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the affected families and prayed for divine comfort.
Atofarati claimed that poverty in the nation pushed families to seek free entertainment for their children.
He lauded the swift intervention of the Makinde and the rescue efforts, which saved the lives of some of the children who sustained injuries and the probing of the incident.
The statement read, “We are using this incident to call on the Federal Government to improve the standard of living in Nigeria. What happened is as a result of poverty in the land.
“The Federal Government should intensify efforts in ensuring that there is provision of adequate jobs for parents to be able to take proper care of their children and also to improve standards of living in the country. The event is quite unfortunate.
“The PDP in the Southwest sympathises with the people and government of Oyo State over the unfortunate incident and the accompanying stampede and loss of lives of children. We prayed that God consoles the families that lost their children in the incident.”
