By Ernest Osogbue
In the last few days, much has been written and said about the recent tragedies that took place in Ibadan, Abuja and Anambra State. I must in that spirit, first, extend my condolences to those who lost loved ones in those incidents, and pray that our Heavenly Father will comfort them.
That being said, I must confess that the limited interpretation to which Nigerians ascribe many incidents in our country, usually leave me disappointed. When events take place, there is a quick rush to ascribe political interpretations to them. This attitude would never allow us the opportunity to look at those incidents critically, with a view to finding solutions to them.
I believe that the only path to building a great Nigeria, and finding lasting solutions to our problems, lies in our ability to look at issues beyond partisan prisms. In that sense, I posit that those tragedies are due more, to a failure of social engineering over time, than the policies of the present administration. Stampede is a Nigerian phenomenon, inherent in our system, due to certain errors in the make-up of our society. While hunger may be the immediate cause, the real cause is hidden somewhere in the fabric of our nation. Our country is fundamentally programmed for stampedes. I am not holding brief for the Tinubu administration, but stampedes did not start today, and I will boldly predict without fear that stampedes will continue until certain basic changes in the composition of our society are adjusted.
A visit to Ojuelegba, Oshodi, Idumota, and Mushin, in Lagos State, Masaka, and Mararaba, in Nasarawa State and Nyanya in the FCT, will convince you that Nigerians have a stampede mentality. For many years, I have made efforts to understand the reasons for this attitude. I recall an incident many years ago, when I was a resident in Lagos. I was on my way home to Ikeja from Marina, and there were no Ikeja buses, when an 18-seater bus suddenly appeared, with the conductor belting out “Ikeja, Ikeja,” in his hoarse voice.
There was a scramble by those of us going to Ikeja, and a crush at the door as everyone wanted to get in at the same time. After much pushing and shoving, which left us disheveled, with our clothes torn, we finally made it into the bus. As I sat down while still breathing hard from the scramble, I realized that the bus was half empty. I did a count of those of us inside the bus, and realized that we were only ten, meaning that there were still eight empty seats in the bus, and I had torn my dress to get in. I felt really ashamed of myself.
Anyone of us who has lived in Lagos without having a car, must have experienced something similar. Why do we act like that? Why does the Nigerian rush? The answer is that our country is a jungle; as a Nigerian you are guaranteed nothing by right. If you can’t find transportation home from wherever you are, then, you must sleep on the streets. There are no safety nets for the average Nigerian, you must battle and fight for everything by yourself.
In most other societies, the citizen is the responsibility of the state. If you are unemployed, the state takes care of you until you get a job. If a mother is not lactating, the state steps in to care for the newborn. If there are gifts for citizens, a proper register is consulted where those who are qualified would be found. In these societies, citizens can access any service; be it medical, social, emergency, or security, at any time of the day. As a result, citizens can sit in their homes and receive what is rightfully theirs. In Nigeria however, this is not so.
A Civil Servant could be denied promotion, by the simple fact of federal character, religious belief or tribe. There are no clear-cut criteria for promotion. A qualified and competent staff could be overlooked for a less qualified person by some flimsy reason. Some states have more opportunities than others. One region has more chances than the other. There are different standards for different people in Nigeria. The tragedy is that the Nigerian Constitution supports these Apartheid measures.
A student could score 350 marks in the United Tertiary Matriculation Examination UTME, popularly known as JAMB, and be denied admission into a federal university due to state of origin. Another student deemed to come from a so-called educationally disadvantaged state, who scores 120 marks, would be offered the same admission. Ordinarily, all students who score 200 marks and above, which is the basic pass mark, should be guaranteed admission, but due to limited places, due to a failure in social engineering to make more spaces available, students are made to scramble. Illegal issues of “cut off” marks are introduced, and corruption takes over, with stampede being the final solution for students.
President Tinubu declared free train services for citizens during the yuletide season, you can be sure that only broad chested and well-fed individuals will access these services, because the rush and crush would be too much for anyone not strong enough. While I agree that Nigerians, even well-meaning ones, usually fail to follow procedures, by obtaining the necessary permits before embarking on charitable ventures, I must confess that the forlornness of citizens is at the center of stampedes. It follows that if free train services are declared, the system would have put in place measures to filter those who are qualified long before the yuletide season. But as is usual, the president makes the impromptu announcement; catches everyone off-guard, and unprepared, and the citizens are left to scramble and die in order to enjoy the service.
As a Nigerian you have no guaranteed rights. If there are palliatives to be shared, you must fight to get your share, if not, you will get nothing. This is the tragedy of our society and the reason for stampedes. Beyond hunger and difficult government policies, is the underlying fact that citizens realize and know that Nigeria is a jungle, and only the strong can survive. If you don’t fight for yourself, then you must prepare to die. Added to that is that the government lacks the necessary data and does not follow proper procedures in handling citizen issues. It becomes obvious therefore, that until the Nigerian state is prepared to fulfil its basic social responsibilities to citizens, by guaranteeing them access to the minimum necessities for survival, stampedes will remain a recurrent feature of our society.
