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Amid the hardship and recent stampedes across the country, funseekers in their numbers thronged fun places in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Port Harcourt yesterday to celebrate Christmas.
There were stampedes in Ibadan, Abuja and Okija, where a total of 67 people, including 35 children, died in their rush for palliatives, reports The PUNCH.
In Okija, Anambra State, what was meant to be a Christmas palliative distribution on Saturday turned tragic when 22 persons lost their lives, with several others injured, during an early morning stampede.
The same day in Abuja, another tragedy struck when 10 persons died during an annual Christmas food-sharing event at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama.
These incidents followed last week Wednesday’s stampede at the Islamic High School, Basorun, in Ibadan, Oyo State, where several children lost their lives during a holiday funfair celebration, with others rushed to the University College Hospital for medical attention.
The stampedes sparked fears in Nigerians, with several state governments reeling out tough conditions to organisers of large gatherings of people.
On Christmas Day at the Magicland Park along the Lugbe-Airport Express, funseekers lined up in their cars while entering the park, with traffic resulting from the slow moving vehicles stretching up to the express.
With tickets costing N1,500, and game tokens sold at no less than N500, the park provided cheap fun for persons who could not afford more expensive options.
Our correspondent gathered that the park ran a promo where a person could pay N3,500 for access to any ride in the venue, except the Arcade games. The promo runs until Friday.
Similarly, the Monoliza Park in Garki Area 11 had many fun seekers, with tickets costing between N3,000 and N10,000, depending on the activity their clients engaged in.
For instance, tickets for the amusement park cost N2,000 for adults and N5,000 for children, while a 30 minutes Horse Ride was set at N5,000.
Also, a paintball session cost N5,000 for 15 minutes and up to N15,000 for extra balls and gear.
At the Nike Art Gallery in the Piwoyi area of the FCT, it was learnt that entry was free for funseekers. However, a notable restriction was placed on visitors from taking photographs of the artworks.
Meanwhile, a massive crowd gathered at the open space in front of ShopRite, adjacent to the Abuja Chambers of Commerce.
The area was converted into a picnic spot, attracting numerous people who set up mats and brought along food and drinks to enjoy a relaxed day outdoors.
Yahaya, one of the individuals at the picnic, said, “As you can see, I came here with my family and friends to unwind. We brought our mats, food, and drinks. This arrangement allows us to enjoy ourselves without the added cost of entry fees that many recreational centres charge.”
He noted that the affordability and flexibility of such gatherings made it a preferable option for many.
“There are so many people here with their loved ones, and the atmosphere is lively and inclusive. To me, this is more cost-efficient and just as enjoyable as visiting paid recreational centres,” Yahaya added.
Lagos
In Lagos, funseekers still came out in large numbers to have fun in recreational centres along the Ikotun-Idimu-Egbeda axis, despite the high incidences of stampedes in different parts of the country.
One of the centres located at Tantalizers had fun-seekers, mostly children and their parents, enjoying themselves with a bouncing castle at a relatively cheaper rate.
A parent, Johnpaul Ejiogu, said, “I decided to bring my kids here just to have fun in the spirit of the festive season. They are on holidays and they have been at home for weeks now without going anywhere.”
On the stampede scare, Ejiogu said, “This place is not crowded to the extent of causing a stampede and the organisers are managing it very well.”
Another parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “At first I was scared of bringing my kids out to this recreational centre but when I checked here and noticed that the crowd wasn’t much and the organisers were controlling the people inside, I decided to allow them have fun.”
At Shoprite in Ikeja, the state capital, there was a very long queue of children and other fun seekers trying to access the premises to have fun.
Meanwhile, some people were stranded at the gate of the Rafiu Jafojo Park in the Shasha area of Lagos, while citing an increase in the cost of entry fees to access the park.
It was gathered that the ticket for adults costs N1500 while the children pay N2000.
“We collected N1,000 from adults last year while the children paid N1,500, but because of the current high cost of running the facilities in the park, we had to increase the entry fees. We use fuel to run most of those things you see here,” an attendant told one of our correspondents.
“I had just finished speaking with those issuing tickets if they could reduce the price but they insisted. We came here because of the affordability but that is not the case with the new rate. I brought five children here and I have a budget,” a man, who was at the gate with his family, said.
Some others who could not access the park were seen hanging around the premises as they purchased items from some vendors.
A similar scenario played out at a mini recreation park by a fast food outlet along the Idimu-Ikotun road, where only a handful of fun seekers were spotted.
Rivers
Funseekers and holidaymakers crowded major amusement parks and popular malls in Port Harcourt as part of the Christmas celebrations.
At the Port Harcourt Pleasure Park located along Aba Road, hundreds of young people, some accompanied by their parents, were seen inside the facility buying edibles and drinks.
Children were also seen at the recreation centres using the facilities to their delight as the place was filled but security measures were taken by government officials mounted at strategic locations giving directions to the funseekers and making their entry and exit easy.
Also at the main entrance, more hands were hired to cater for the ticket sales in order to prevent a rush.
At the Port Harcourt Mall along Azikiwe Road, there was adequate crowd control at both entrances as security staff was seen at every location though those who visited to shop at the multi-purpose facility were less compared to last year’s Christmas.
A shopper, Emma, who was with two of his children, said people would always find a way to survive despite the harsh economy.
Emma stated, “ I was here last year and I think k it was higher than what we have here. But in any case people are still here and the security arrangement is fine. You can see there is no need to rush.”
The cinema section and the eateries on the first and second floors were also busy with families and funseekers having a swell time.
Plateau
Parks in Jos, Plateau State, also witnessed a massive turnout of funseekers on Christmas Day.
A visit by one of our correspondents to some of the popular parks in the city, including Alluvial Event Centre opposite Solomon Lar Amusement and Wild Life Park, revealed that the parks were filled to capacity.
The funseekers, comprising families, friends and children, were seen enjoying various rides and attractions, without any apparent fear of a stampede.
Interestingly, the presence of security personnel, including policemen, was noticeable at the parks, apparently to ensure the safety of visitors.
“The massive turnout at the amusement parks is a clear indication that the residents of Jos are determined to celebrate the Christmas season without letting security concerns dampen their spirits. As you can see, I came with my family and they had fun and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ,” one of the funseekers at Alluvial, Paul Choji, said.
As the day wore on, the atmosphere at the parks remained lively and in festive mood, with music, laughter and excitement filling the air.
Akwa Ibom
Funseekers at the Christmas Village, located along Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State also came out in large numbers to catch fun on Christmas Day.
One of the funseekers, Sunday Ime, said the place was always filled from 7pm.
“Come here in the night, you will see a lot of people, some of them catch fun, drink, watch movies and cultural displays of various kinds.
“There is nothing like stampede here, the place is well secured and with the right structures and there is enough security here, so there is no stampede scare,” Ime stated.
Anambra
Anambra residents mostly stayed indoors and celebrated their Christmas at their various homes and around their vicinity for fear of the growing rate of kidnappings and insecurity in the state.
One of our correspondents, who visited some tourists centres in Onitsha, the commercial city of the state, and Awka, the state capital, as well as Nnewi yesterday, gathered that the insecurity in most parts of the state has greatly affected tourism business as tourists and picnickers avoided the recreational centres.
Most recreational centres visited were empty, with some under lock and key, although some were in a dilapidated state following years of abandonment.
“Security has forced people to remain indoors and as you can see, no turnout at the parks, even as today is Christmas. Most people are now avoiding going for picnic for fear of being kidnapped for ransom or killed by gunmen. The state government has much to do by providing security and infrastructure to make the state safe and grow the tourism industry,” an operator of a park said.
“In the past, operators of recreational centres made brisk business during peak periods such as Christmas, but now, most operators of amusement parks and recreational centres operate below 20 to 30 per cent due to the worsening insecurity in the state. Due to that, people now prefer to stay indoors or just hang around in a corner of their vicinity to celebrate. It is not a good development.”
A resident of Awka, who identified himself as Uchenna Eze, a returnee from Lagos State, said, “Due to insecurity and what is happening, visits to tourist centres and other sightseeing locations have reduced greatly. Most people who come home prefer to hide in hotels.”
Ogun
There was a low turnout in most parts of Ogun State, with the Hi-Impact Planet Amusement Park and Resort in the Magboro area of Ogun State, accommodating just a few funseekers on Christmas Day.
An attendant at the park told our correspondent that the park operated between the hours of 11am and 5pm.
A fun seeker, Shola, said, “This is my first time of coming here. The turnout was fair when I came in but I can’t compare with previous years because I wasn’t here in the previous years. The security situation is okay. The park management put everything in order.”
Benue
Christmas funseekers in Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State, were made to seek alternatives as the state government shut down major amusement parks, including the popular City Bay Park, Precious Event Centre Park and Balcony Park.
Sources said the parks were shut down for not renewing their licenses, while others claimed that sealing off of the major parks was a fallout of the internal crisis rocking the ruling All Progress Congress in the state.
Owners of sealed parks were reported to be APC stakeholders who had been having running battles with the state government.
Meanwhile, funseekers who thronged the parks for Christmas celebration were shocked to behold stern-looking security operatives guarding the parks.
One of our correspondents, who visited Woodland Park at Kashim Ibrahim Way, observed low-key celebrations by few people.
Police probe
Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command said it had questioned key individuals involved in organising the distribution of palliatives at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama.
Speaking in an interview with one of our correspondents yesterday, the FCT command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said, “In connection with the tragic stampede at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, which resulted in the deaths of 10 individuals and injuries to eight others, including children, we invited key individuals involved in organising the distribution of palliatives for questioning.
“This step was taken to gain a better understanding of the circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident. After their initial questioning, they were allowed to return home, as our investigation into the matter is ongoing.
“An invitation regarding a tragedy of this magnitude is not out of place. We are addressing the loss of human lives, which, in religious and moral beliefs, are sacred.”
Adeh denied an allegation that their actions were aimed at undermining the church’s humanitarian efforts, clarifying that their focus remains solely on uncovering the facts surrounding the tragedy.
She said, “Furthermore, allegations suggesting that we are attempting to demonise the church’s almsgiving or humanitarian efforts are entirely baseless and disappointing. Our actions are motivated solely by the need to uncover the truth and ensure accountability where necessary.”
Adeh, however, said those who were initially questioned may be called back for further interviews as the inquiry continues into the incident.
She said, “As our investigation progresses, it is possible that those who were previously invited may be called back for further questioning if deemed necessary. We remain committed to conducting a thorough and impartial inquiry into this matter.”
