The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Nentawe Yilwatda, has attributed the food queue stampedes during Nigeria’s 2024 Yuletide season to poor organization.
In an interview on Channels Television’s 2024 Year-End Review, Yilwatda compared the incidents in Nigeria to similar occurrences in more developed countries.
“Stampedes have occurred in more developed countries than in Nigeria,” the minister said. “For instance, during Hurricane Katrina in the U.S., there were stampedes during food distribution due to poor organization. Similarly, there was a stampede during school food distribution in Texas. This has happened in several developed nations where poor organization led to such incidents.”
In December 2024, three major food queue stampedes took place in Oyo, Anambra, and Abuja, resulting in approximately 70 deaths. These tragedies have been linked to widespread hunger and the rising cost of food. Authorities have since detained the private organizers behind these food distribution efforts.
Yilwatda highlighted the Federal Government’s role as the largest distributor of relief materials to Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations, noting that no stampedes have occurred in government-run programs.
“We distribute more relief materials than private individuals, yet there have been no stampedes in government programs,” the minister stated. He called on private individuals and organizations involved in relief distribution to collaborate with the ministry to ensure proper organization and prevent such tragedies in the future.
