From Godwin Tsa Abuja
Following the recent spate of stampedes in Ibadan, Okija and Abuja, a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Agbolade Okenla, has highlighted some precautionary measures to avoid future tragedies.
Pastor Okenla of the City of David branch of the church said the tips were borne out of experience, having successfully organised and conducted many welfare and medical outreaches within and around Abuja, involving communities of 1,000 to 5,000 persons, the most recent being Saturday, December 7, 2024 at the People Living with Disabilities (PLWD) community, Karonmajigi, Abuja.
According to him, “based on our experiences and lessons, the following are some useful tips and advice – Strategic Planning and Preparation: Ensure adequate planning and preparation is done months ahead of the scheduled date for the welfare exercise.”
He explained that, “this should include holding consultations and meetings with the community leaders of the area or locality where the distribution will take place. It affords a better understanding of the terrain, the disposition of the people living in the area, ease of access, etc.
“Another method is Mapping: Based on our experience, a data-driven exercise is always the best for any community welfare or medical outreach. This involves sending out an advanced team of demographic and data collection professionals to map out the community and gather the personal information and data of the intended beneficiaries. The data collected will then be used for needs assessment and effective planning.
“Adequate security must be put in place. Planning for the security of lives is an indispensable safety measure that must never be taken for granted, having regard for the peculiarities of the economic conditions of the people.
“This must cut across engaging with the Nigerian Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the local vigilante or security apparatus within the chosen community or locality.
“Use of access cards or tickets: Design and give out access cards to the beneficiaries in advance, at least two days before the actual distribution. To avoid cloning, ensure that the access cards or tickets bear some unique security codes or features that will make it difficult, if not impossible for people to forge.
“Open space versus gated environment: When dealing with a crowd of 1,000 and above, it is more advisable to use an open field/space like a community school than a gated community or space because the chances of a stampede occurrence is more minimal in an open environment than in a restricted one. However, if you are using a gated space, please keep the gate open for ease of movement in and out of the place.