Human rights attorney, Femi Falana, has criticized the way state governments are giving out aid packages, saying it violates the rights of Nigerians.
Falana made this statement at the Citizens Accountability and Rights Forum, an event organized by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, in the Ikeja area of Lagos State on Thursday.
He emphasized that bringing together large groups of people to distribute aid packages cannot solve the current economic situation because it's only a short-term solution and a way to divert attention from the real economic issues.
He stated, “Giving out food items isn't the best approach because most people won't get it; it's a diversionary tactic. In Lagos, when Customs were selling 25kg of rice for N10,000, seven people were killed in a stampede.
“Two weeks ago in Nasarawa, two students were killed in a stampede. In Bauchi State, seven people were killed during an alms-giving event.
“So we are using this forum to urge the governments in Nigeria to stop gathering and humiliating our people by throwing rice at them. By throwing food items at the people, we are degrading them and treating them like animals.”
Falana suggested that states should focus on developing a comprehensive social register that could be used to facilitate conditional cash transfer to residents of each state, ensuring that all vulnerable individuals can access government aid packages.
He lamented the government's lack of an effective crowd management system to address the dangers of gathering large numbers of people in one place.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said, “So the government, both federal and state, should update the social register and send money to vulnerable people so they can buy the rice they need. But they should stop gathering people because we can't control the crowd.
“In each of the unfortunate situations, the government would always blame the citizens. There was no ambulance to help in emergencies when over 20,000 people were brought together. You can't gather a large number of people like that and not provide an ambulance.”
Falana also called for justice for two students of the Nasarawa State University who lost their lives during a stampede at the venue where aid packages for the students were being distributed.
“We are insisting that the government compensate the families of those who died adequately. That's what the government did yesterday (Wednesday) for the families of the soldiers killed in Delta.
“President Tinubu personally attended and announced scholarships and honors for them, as well as immediate payment of their gratuity. All Nigerians are equal, and every life matters. The government or whoever is responsible must take responsibility,” Falana said.
