Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party has sent condolences to the families of seven who died in Lagos while trying to purchase N10k rice from the Nigeria Customs Service.
The incident happened as a result of biting hunger in the country.
Obi was reacting to the death of an All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain, Comfort Adebanjo, and six others, while attempting to purchase seized rice put on sale by the Nigerian Customs Service in a bid to alleviate the impact of economic hardship in the country.
Speaking at the first anniversary of the 2023 presidential election in Abuja on Sunday, Obi lamented the disproportionate allocation of funds by the current government.
He lamented that more money has been spent on car parks for politicians than on the operations of some major teaching hospitals.
“The hunger protests have united our people across ethnicity, language, region, faith, and location.
“This is another confirmation of our belief that Nigerians are united by the circumstances of their living conditions, not by artificial barriers raised by opportunistic politicians. We are now one people under hunger.
“Just yesterday, I read with sadness the reports of how a massive crowd besieged the Zonal Office of the Nigerian Customs in Yaba to purchase the discounted 25kg rice offered by the Customs Service.
“In the course of the heavy stampede that ensued, some lives were lost.
“It is heartbreaking to think that despite all the wealth of our nation, Nigerians are losing their lives in their desperate quest to buy food cheaper, in the face of the growing hunger and starvation in the country,” he said.
Obi criticized the excessive expenditure on “wasteful items” such as expensive renovations of already luxurious offices and residences.
“In all our adversity, our new leaders have resorted to spending stupendous amounts of resources on wasteful items like ordering expensive renovations of offices and residences,” Obi added.
