Okija stampede: Stop sharing food – IPOB tells Igbo philanthropists what to do

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday urged Igbo philanthropists to stop distributing palliatives to people in the Southeast.

Rather, IPOB urged philanthropists to share seedlings with people and encourage them to return to their farmlands.

The spokesman of IPOB, Emma Powerful, was reacting to the stampede that killed several people in the Okija area of Anambra State last week.

In a statement he signed, Powerful said the organizer of the food distribution that resulted in the disaster, Obi Jackson, should not be blamed for the tragedy.

The statement reads: “The Directorate of State (DOS) of the great family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Kanu, commiserates with Ndigbo, particularly the people of the Okija community, over the sudden deaths of our people, mostly the women who went to collect the food items and palliatives distributed by a philanthropist in their community.

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“The death of over 22 women when a stampede erupted during the collection of free food items organized by an Okija philanthropist, popularly known as Obi Jackson, is noted. It is also noted that the philanthropic action of distributing free food items to women in the Okija community and beyond by Obi Jackson during Christmas has been going on for years.

“His good gestures should not be discouraged or demonized. In a sane country, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that poverty is not weaponized.

“Nigeria, as a country that has failed her citizens, is the reason people like Obi Jackson stepped in to provide palliatives for the poverty-stricken citizens. Nigerian politicians have weaponized poverty, which is why more than 80 Nigerians have died so far in December 2024 in Anambra State, Abuja, and Ibadan.

“As such, Obi Jackson will not be blamed for lending support to the hungry citizens that resulted in the unfortunate deaths. However, anyone who wishes to distribute palliatives in the future should ensure that proper procedures are put in place to avoid stampedes and other harms to our people.

“In the future, such free food distribution can be done in villages instead of one central place with an overwhelming crowd, and security must be put in place to ensure the orderly distribution of the food.

“Finally, there is a saying that goes like this: ‘Teach a man how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime, but if you give a man a fish, he will only eat one meal.’ Therefore, we must avoid the repeat of the ugly event of December 21, 2024, by empowering and employing our people to reduce the state of engineered poverty that is ravaging Nigeria.

“To address this poverty menace, IPOB is calling on all Igbo philanthropists to stop sharing food items to the people. Instead, provide them with seedlings for planting so that they can go back to the farm and produce what they will eat.

“Empower our people to go back to the farm by sharing natural seedlings as a means of reducing hunger in the land. Also, we encourage wealthy Igbos to help struggling youths go into useful endeavors and helpful employments to address the issue of poverty.

“Most importantly, IPOB has called on our people to bring their investments, factories, businesses, ministries, and agencies home to Alaigbo to create employment opportunities for our teeming youths. Ndigbo are known for our hardworking and self-sustaining way of life.

“IPOB commends the efforts of Igbo philanthropists. However, we wish to discourage the sharing of food items. We must not create a culture of dependency like what is obtainable in the northern region of the zoo called Nigeria.

“IPOB once again sympathizes with everyone who has lost a relative during the rice collection stampede in Okija, Anambra State. We hope such an ugly incident will not happen again. Most importantly, IPOB calls on Ndigbo and Biafrans to activate the Agricultural and Industrial Revolution in order to address the state-sponsored weaponization of poverty in Nigeria, particularly in Biafra Land. We will not allow this to happen again.”