The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has said there was need for the government to partner with churches to help poor citizens who were struggling to cater for themselves and their families.
Kaigama who made the call at a special Holy Mass in honour of the deceased and injured victims of the stampede that claimed 10 lives on 21st December 2024 at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church Maitama Abuja, however dismissed claims that negligence was largely responsible for the tragic incident that occurred.
Speaking at the mass held at the Church on Sunday, he stressed that many Catholic parishes in the FCT including the affected parish, have been engaging in seamless food distributions for decades.
While regretting that the stampede was proof of the increasing hunger and hardship in the country, the Cleric noted that no one should die of hunger or a needless death in the country.
He said: “What occurred here during the annual Christmas items distribution was never as a result of negligence. We did not neglect anything that brought about that sad incident. Previous years of distribution took place seamlessly in all the many Catholic parishes in the FCT.
“However, the distribution at Holy Trinity Maitama in 2024 witnessed an unprecedented turnout of about 5,000 needy and vulnerable persons. Certainly, due to the heightened economic hardship affecting many families in the country. It was never because we were negligent that they came.
“It was because they were hungry that they came and their hunger is not the fault of the Catholic Church. If you are looking for a culprit, please cast your eyes elsewhere.
“The large crowd outside the church premises created pressure and panic. This led to a struggle as individuals scrambled to gain entry through the church gate, which resulted in the fatalities and injuries.
“No one should be allowed to die a needless death just struggling for what to eat. Is it not shameful that we shall say in the future and in history that people died here simply struggling for what to eat? Is it not a shame to the nation? And when the international community hears about it, they also wonder what is happening to Nigeria with our huge and vast human and natural resources. When the sad incident occurred, immediate actions were taken by the church.
“Obviously, this tragedy invites us to learn some lessons. While thanking God, we must realize that this unexpected incident underscores the need for enhanced crowd control measures. We are learning that they need to attempt to pre-register people in order to prevent a similar occurrence.”
Kaigama added, “The Church has taught us to be sensitive to the needs of others, especially the poor and the vulnerable. We hope that the government will collaborate with the Catholic Church to look after the poor, the starving, the socially deprived, and others. We should be speaking the language of collaboration rather than the language of blame.
“The Church has always asked for this collaboration. The Church has always been a place of refuge and support. We need to work with the concerned government agencies to address the underlying issues that led to this sad event. There must be issues that led to this sad event. Rather than looking at the consequences that happened on that 21st of December, go back and look beyond that incident and find out why this happened. We can work together.
“Our government must do all that is possible so that no one dies of hunger or other artificial causes. Nigeria must learn to use available resources without corruption to save the lives of citizens, even if it is one person.
“When one person goes missing in America, they will deploy all that is possible to recover that person but here you find hundreds missing and we just say, we constitute a committee that sits for two or three weeks and that is the end. Please, we must do something for our poor citizens. Those who are rich can afford water, electricity and medical care and so on, but the poor cannot and that is why we must look after them
“Do it now, now. Poverty robs people of their dignity so our individual actions and political decisions must be geared towards the good of the poor.”
To avoid a future occurrences, the Archbishop said there was need for sensitization on orderly conduct before and during distributions to minimise anxiety and panic.
“We are certainly learning, but remember, we have done this for many, many years without any incident of this nature. But that it has happened means that it can happen again, so we must take adequate proactive measures to ensure that this does not happen again.”
The parish priest, Fr. Moses Jimbili noted that the parish and the Catholic Church in general would not be deterred from its mission of charity and providing succour to those in need.
“We have been doing this for decades, quietly. While this incident is unfortunate, it has also drawn attention to the good works of the Catholic Church. We will not be discouraged but will continue to strategize and carry out our mission.
“When people come to benefit from our charity, we don’t consider their denomination or religion. All we see are people in need, and we give them food. We must remain focused and committed to our calling. Charity is the essence and mission of the Church.”
Meanwhile, the AIG Zone 7 under the FCT, Ben Igwe while explaining how he alongside the Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the directive of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) managed the 21 December incident said, “We have learned a lot, and next time, it will be handled differently.”
