Oriyomi of Agidigbo Fm “Gbenu Si Mic” fame was insensitive with his utterances immediately after the tragic Ibadan incident where at least 38 children were killed in a stampede for food. His desperate attempt to change the narrative to blaming the victims including the dead, and excusing the organizers of the event was too volatile and inhuman at that material time.
With Oriyomi’s wide exprience as a popular and likeable media guru who has been involving in commendable humanitarian services and social justice crusade, he should have known that the victims who can stampede themselves to death because of mere food and small “change,” are desperate victims of mass hunger and crushing poverty that have totally dehumanized them that their lives and dignity makes no meaning to them daily.
These are products of terrible economic stragulating conditions in the country over the years, now made worse by Tinubu government of pains due to his regime anti-people neo-liberal economic policies of crushing pains and more pains that is making almost every citizen to become beggar and desperate FOODLUMS who are ready to die for food. Oriyomi alluded to this mass poverty and hunger recently in anger and always on his programme. He should have known that the growing tribe of hungry fathers and mothers .who carried their two, three years old babies to struggle and die for food is an expression of such poverty and starvation in the country.
Oriyomi should have known that is the period of serious mourning when all must concentrate attention in saving lives as he said he was involved in rescue operations on the spot. It’s not a time for any dancing tongue parade, excusing the organizers, the promoters or blaming the victims of this huge tragedy that befalls our Ibadan, an ancient peaceful city used to be known for cheap food before the arrival of political vultures who descended on the historical city, the states and the nation and made hungry citizens to value 5kg of rice, a loaf of bread and any free food than their lives.
What Oriyomi’s Insensitivity reveals is that many people including politicians can do humanitarian service and give aways without real empathy with the poor in their hearts, or and lack interpretation of their society correctly to know why people are poor as a product of bad governance, free looting of public treasury and terrible system that is skewd against the people by creating a growing population of permanently poor people in series. . Oriyomi should have understood this better and showed more empathy during the sad period which the organizers wouldn’t have liked to happen but should have been projected its possibility in their planning and prevention. . Empathy is the best humanirian way that reveals the humanity in us as defenders of the poor. This a lesson for Oriyomi and all of us to learn from. The tragedy is just too shocking to believe.
I empathize with the victims, the families of the casualitues, the Ibadan people and the nation at large.. It’s really going to be a bleak Christmas for families of these 38 children and adults who died in search for food but met their untimely death.
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