Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has reacted the death of two students of the Nasarawa State University during a palliative distribution stampede in the school last week.
Recall that he had ordered the distribution of two 7.5 kg bags of rice and N5,000 to each student of the state university in Keffi, the state capital.
While speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Sule said the sad incident was not as a result of negligence or poor planning on the part of the government.
Human rights activist Femi Falana had blamed the deaths of the two students – Grace Danladi and Rose Micheal, on “official negligence.”
Falana said the distribution exercise was not well-organised, hence the avoidable tragedy.
Reacting, the Governor said, “It’s not something that happened on the part of negligence by government. It’s very unfortunate that it happened but it had nothing to do with any planning, it has nothing to do with any negligence. We have been to eight places. It was the last place, which would have been the ninth institution that we went. So, all these other places that we went, everything went so smooth.”
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According to him, some students thought that their names were being replaced by the Students’ Union Government of the institution, hence, the anxiety.
He said: “We are very sad that two students died. We are talking with the families. So, for somebody to politicise it? It’s unfortunate that we are in a country where everybody looks at a tragedy and politicise it.
“During the process, they (students), overpowered the security and God so kind, the security did not open fire on anybody. So, it’s not like anybody was shot.
“It was during the stampede that happened, may be, these two students fell and other students marched on them. So, who are you going to look for compensation from? The students or the management of the university.”
The Governor furthered that his Deputy and Commissioners had paid condolence visits to the families of the two deceased students.
“We are going to support the family with some form of assistance but I am not going to use the word, ‘compensation’ because it’s not something that happened on the part of negligence by government,” Sule added.
