Kaigama calls for government-church partnership to tackle hunger in Nigeria
The Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, His Grace, Ignatius Kaigama, has called for a partnership between the government and the Catholic Church to tackle hunger in the country.
Archbishop Kaigama made this appeal during a Holy Mass at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, held in honor of the victims of the December 21 food distribution event, which tragically resulted in the deaths of 10 people and left 11 others injured.
The Archbishop clarified that the stampede was not due to negligence by the church. He explained that the presence of approximately 5,000 needy and vulnerable individuals outside the church premises caused pressure and panic, leading to a struggle at the church gate, which resulted in the casualties.
“No one should die a needless death while struggling for food. Is it not shameful that in the future, history will record that people died here simply because they were struggling for food? Is it not a disgrace to our nation? What will the international community think of Nigeria, given our abundant human and natural resources?” Archbishop Kaigama lamented.
Reverend Father Moses Jimbili, the Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, described the stampede as unfortunate but affirmed that the incident would not deter the church from continuing its charitable efforts. He emphasized the importance of collaboration between the church and the state to support the poor and mentioned that the food items meant for distribution were sent to other parishes for the needy after the incident.
Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Ben Igweh, overseeing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Niger State, stated that security agencies would collaborate with religious organizations to ensure smooth and safe distribution of food and other relief items in the future.
Within one week in December 2024, three stampedes occurred at food distribution centers in Ibadan, Anambra, and Abuja, underscoring the economic challenges citizens face and the urgent need for effective crowd management.