Labour Party opposition leader and former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed profound sorrow over recent stampedes at rice distribution centers across Nigeria, which claimed numerous lives.

In Anambra State’s Okija area, 19 people tragically lost their lives, while a similar incident at a Catholic Church in Abuja resulted in 10 fatalities during a food palliative distribution. Earlier in the week, a Christmas funfair stampede in Oyo State claimed the lives of 35 children.

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account, Obi mourned the victims and attributed the tragic events to Nigeria’s worsening economic conditions.

“I am deeply saddened and distressed by the tragic loss of lives in desperate searches for food,” Obi wrote. “The desperate quest for survival in these harsh economic times has driven our people to extremes in their search for food, often at the cost of their lives.”

While commending the efforts of individuals and organizations distributing palliatives, Obi criticized systemic failures that have left many Nigerians struggling for basic sustenance despite the nation’s abundant resources.

“How do we explain that in a nation blessed with abundant resources, our people are dying of hunger in such numbers? How is it possible that we cannot feed our citizens despite the vast, fertile lands our nation is endowed with? My heart bleeds,” he said.

Obi extended heartfelt condolences to the affected families and communities in Oyo, Anambra, and Abuja, praying for the injured to recover swiftly and for eternal peace for the deceased. He urged a collective reflection on the systemic issues driving such tragedies and called for urgent action to address the root causes of hunger and desperation in the country.