Stampede Deaths: PDP Commiserates With Oyo Govt

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest has sympathised with the government and people of Oyo State over the tragic Christmas Funfair which led to the loss of lives of children in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The party also called on the federal government to do more in improving the living standard of the people.

The PDP Southwest in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Chief Sanya Atofarati, made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti mourned the death of the children, condoled with Governor Seyi Makinde and the families affected in the unfortunate incident, praying that God consoled them.

Stampede at the venue of a children’s Christmas party organized in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Wednesday had resulted in multiple loss of lives and injuries.

Atofarati said that the incident, which was the outcome of resorting to freebies that attracted huge numbers of children, was avoidable if the federal government made deliberate efforts to improve citizens’ living standards.

“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 pray that God consoles the families that lost their children in the incident.”

Atofarati, however, commended the swift intervention of the Makinde-led government of Oyo State and the rescue efforts which saved the lives of some of the children who sustained injuries and the probing of the incident.