26th February, 2024
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
A former presidential spokesman, Reno Omokri has attacked a former presidential candidate, Peter Obi for politicising the stampede in Lagos.
Seven people had died while trying to purchase cheap rice being displayed by the Nigerian Customs Service in Lagos.
Obi had lamented the stampede in voluminous tweets on X, castigating the Federal government over the issue.
According to Obi, “This sad occurrence reflects the level of hardship, hunger, and starvation prevalent in the country, with millions of people not knowing where their next meal will come from. It is very disheartening that our national economy has been driven into perhaps the worst state in all of our national history.
“We have seen our government spend more money on car parks for politicians than for the running of half of our teaching hospitals. In all this, there has been scanty attention to the living conditions of the ordinary people they were elected to care for.
“The huge amounts of borrowed resources that should have been channeled into production, especially food production, to guarantee an abundant supply of food in the nation, were rather consumed on inanities, rather than invested. Today, we are one big nation united by hunger and starvation, to the point of dying to make ends meet. Again, I strongly urge the government to lead the crusade against hunger by investing aggressively in our agricultural sector.”
Reacting to Obi’s tweets, Omokri said it seemed Obi is always happy when bad things occurred in the country.
Omokri tweeted: “Nigeria’s GDP grew by 3.4%, Obi did not react. Fuel import reduced by 50%. Obi did not react. Capital importation rose by 66%. He did not talk. Nigeria Stock Exchange attained 100,000 ASI. The highest ever. Obi did not react. Oil production rose to 1.55 MBD. Obi was quiet.
“There was a stampede while the Nigerian customs sold cheap rice. Obi released a voluminous statement. Is Peter Obi only happy when bad things happen in Nigeria?”
Omokri added that there was a stampede in Anambra on Sunday, November 3, 2013, while Peter Obi was Governor, with 17 people dead.
“Nobody politicised it. Yet, this same Peter Obi is now politicising the death of seven citizens who died during a stampede for cheap rice in Lagos. Stampedes happen even in the wealthiest countries on Earth. Again, fact-check me: Multiple people die almost annually in America during stampedes on Black Friday when shops have their sales. Does that mean America is finished? Must we politicise death?
“Maybe President Bola Tinubu should appoint Peter Obi as minister for politicising bad news,” he said.