……. Cancels scheduled Lagos events in honour of victims
President Bola Tinubu has charged state governments and other relevant authorities to enforce strict crowd control measures.
He gave the charge yesterday in response to the death of 39 people in stampedes in Anambra State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The president also cancelled all his official events in Lagos, including attendance at the 2024 Lagos Boat Regatta in honour of the victims of the stampedes.
A statement issued yesterday by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga stated that president Tinubu, in his reaction to the two incidents, has cancelled his scheduled plan to watch the boat parade and other activities of the Boat Regatta from the waterfront of his Queen’s Drive residence in Ikoyi.
According to the statement, dignitaries, including top officials of the Lagos State government and white cap chiefs from the state, were already seated when the president cancelled his appearance following briefings on the tragedies.
Commiserating with the victims of the unfortunate incidents, the president observed that it was very disturbing that the events at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, and a community Centre in Okija, Anambra State, bore a distressing resemblance to the recent incident in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He emphasized that local and state authorities should no longer tolerate operational lapses by organisations and corporate bodies involved in charitable and humanitarian activities.
President Tinubu observed that the mishaps are avoidable if event planners adhere to necessary safeguards and protocols to ensure pre- and post-event safety.
