In the wake of the tragedy that attended the Ibadan Children Funfair, the Ibadan Discourse Group (IDG) has called on the government at all levels to do more to lift a greater number of people out of poverty.
The Think-Tank group made the call in a statement on Friday to sympathise with the parents of the victims of the unfortunate incident, which, as stated in a police report, claimed the lives of 35 children and six others injured.
In a statement issued by its Chairman, Chief Adebisi Adesola, The Ibadan Discourse Group stated that the tragedy could have been averted if better coordination and security arrangements had been implemented before the ill-fated event.
The group particularly urged the federal government to fix the economy quickly and optimally so that the results would be reflected in the pockets and lives of most people.
It called on government at all levels to do more concretely to lift a much greater number of people out of the multidimensional poverty ravaging the land.
The group drew attention to the fact that the land’s pervasive poverty and ravaging hunger caused parents to leave their houses before 5:30 a.m. to receive handouts!
“It is saddening that the lives of 35 innocent young children, leaders of tomorrow, were lost to poverty and hunger, while several others were injured.
“The ravaging poverty and hunger in the land are serious factors that could cause many parents to leave their houses before 5.30am to receive handouts from a children’s fair.
“The lesson from this sad incident is that governments at all levels have to do more to lift a much greater number of people from the multidimensional poverty that is ravaging the land.
“The Federal Government, in particular, must take a serious and deeper look at its social investment programme so that the majority of Nigerians can, at least, feed themselves,” the group stated.
The Ibadan Discourse Group also criticised the organisers of the ill-fated children’s funfair for not adequately preparing for the event, especially in terms of coordination and security.
“Beyond the organisers, state security apparatus ought to have been deployed to an event of such magnitude to ensure the security of lives of the innocent children and others that attended the event.
“The Ibadan Discourse Group is therefore drawing the attention of governments at all levels and other stakeholders to the need for better coordination and security to avoid the re-occurrence of such a sad incident.
“We hereby express our heartfelt sympathy with and condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate incident. We pray that God console them and grant the dead children a peaceful rest,” the group added.
