Stories by Ehigimetor Igbaugba
Dec. 28, 2022
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned Gov. Ben Ayade’s decision to continue with the activities lined up for the annual Calabar Carnival after the death of eight persons on Tuesday.
Mr. Venatius Ikem, the State Chairman of the party, made the condemnation in a press statement in Calabar on Wednesday.
The eight deaths were recorded when a Camry Car lost control and rammed into a crowd of onlookers on day five of the carnival.
Apart from the deaths, 29 others sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to the Naval Hospital and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
The Governor, notwithstanding, continued with the carnival on Tuesday night when he attended Miss Africa, the Beauty Pageant segment of the carnival.
The PDP chairman described Ayade’s decision to proceed with the carnival as a “singular action tantamount to rubbing salt on injuries.”
He said that the governor’s action showed insensitivity to the mood and plight of the people.
Ikem said, “Indeed, we have been vindicated in our rating of Ayade’s government as inhuman, uncouth and unperturbed by the sufferings of the masses.
“It is unthinkable that a leader can proceed to a jamboree where he was seen beaming with smiles and cheering Miss Africa Beauty Pageant contestants after the bloody incident which claimed lives just a couple of hours apart.
Ikem also stated that the disaster could have been avoided if standard best practices were applicable during the event, especially with regard to crowd and vehicular traffic control as well as the physiological state of the participants.
Meanwhile, the PDP governorship candidate, Sen. Sandy Onor, has condoled with the families of those who lost their loved ones in the Calabar Carnival accident.
He prayed for the repose of the souls of the departed and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Meanwhile, the Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Cross River, Maikano Hassan, disclosed to NAN in Calabar on Wednesday that the death toll in the Calabar carnival tragic incident has increased to eight.
Seven persons were said to have died on the spot, while 29 others were rushed to the Naval Hospital and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
The injured included: 21 male adults, three women, two male children and three female children.
The FRSC sector commander said that the additional casualty was one of the injured three female children.
“We went round the hospitals where the injured were being treated to discover that one additional death had been recorded.
“We are also pleased to say that some of those injured in the incident had been discharged, while others were responding well to treatment,’’ he said.
NAN reports that the Tuesday incident, which had Gov. Ben Ayade and other dignitaries in attendance, brought the day five activity of the carnival to an abrupt end.
Meanwhile, the governor has condoled with the families of those who lost their lives and promised to bring to book the driver of the vehicle who caused the accident.
NAN reports that the driver of the vehicle had been arrested and is presently under police watch in an undisclosed health facility where he is receiving treatment for the injuries he sustained in the crash.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Sule Balarabe, confirmed the arrest of the driver.
However, fun seekers who trooped out in their thousands to witness this year’s Calabar carnival have bemoaned the inability of the government to light up the city, especially the procession routes of the carnival.
Some of the fun seekers spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Wednesday at the day six of the annual carnival.
The respondents noted that the non-functional streetlights on the routes robbed the carnival which started on a high note during the day of the shine it deserved.
NAN reports that the 12km route runs from Eleven Eleven Roundabout on the highway to Effio-Ette junction along Marian Road down to the end point at the stadium.
They noted that the government should have done better by ensuring that the streetlights were functioning properly long before the carnival started.
A respondent, Mr. Pascal Bajie, an entrepreneur based in Calabar regretted that the 2022 edition of the carnival lacked the usual glamour.
He pointed out that before now the streets lights that had only functioned occasionally for years, should have been fixed for the purpose of the carnival.
According to him, I am actually disappointed in the government who are the organisers of the carnival. This (year’s event) amounts to waste of time and money.
“There is no fun because we can’t even record the procession this night because of non-functional streetlights.”
Similarly, Theresa Ogwu, who resides in Calabar said many of the fun seekers who came from outside the state would be greatly disappointed with this year’s outcome.
“The night activity was expected to be highly entertaining and fun to watch should there have been functional streetlights.
“You can see how poor the illumination is on the carnival routes. It wasn’t like this in previous editions and the government ought to know better.
In previous editions, the streets lights are usually turned on even before 6pm but its 7:30pm now and the lights are not on,” she stated.
On his part, Mr. Andy Akin, a visitor to the town, who also bemoaned the absence of streetlights, said an international event like this that saw participants from no fewer than 14 countries should have been better organised.
The annual carnival, which started during the administration of former Gov. Donald Duke, had not been held in the last two years.
The carnival was suspended in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, while no reason was given for its failure to hold in 2021.
NAN reports that on the first day of the event, efforts were still being made to put some facilities in place for the 2022 edition of the carnival which was clearly hurriedly put up.
