By Nkechi Eze
The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar, has called for proper crowd management during distribution of charity to prevent stampedes and avoidable loss of lives.
The DG’s appeal comes after a string of devastating stampedes across Nigeria, including incidents in Ibadan, Okija, and Abuja, which tragically resulted in numerous deaths and injuries over just four days. She stressed that such heartbreaking outcomes not only undo the good intentions behind charitable events but also turn acts of kindness into sources of sorrow, all due to inadequate planning and crowd management.
While sympathizing with the families of the deceased and those injured, she urged organizers of similar events to engage professionals and seek the support of security agencies to manage crowds effectively. She emphasized the importance of ensuring safety during such activities to prevent recurring tragedies.
“All Zonal Territorial and Operations offices of the agency have been activated to respond to emergencies and provide supports to first responders in the area of traffic management due to the usual increase of traffics during the Yuletide and end of the year festivities” she said.
