The Lagos State Government, over the weekend, responded to the pleas of residents of Ajewole Street, Ajegunle, in Ikorodu Local Government Area of the State by distributing no fewer than 100 bags of its Emergency Food Response stimulus package to the households to complement the number provided on the same street days earlier.
The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, who led the State delegation to distribute the packages, explained that the Governor heard the plea of the residents of Ajewole Street asking for more of the food stimulus packages on the news, as the ones given earlier did not get to all the households.
According to him, “Based on your plea, Mr. Governor has ordered that 100 more packages be brought to the street and be shared to households who had not got anything during the first exercise”.
“This is something that started as soon as the Federal Government announced this lockdown. The Governor said that the poor people in our society shouldn’t be left to their own devices. He said the State Government was going to package food to give to the poor, the poorest of the poor who are at the lowest rung of the ladder and we have been doing that”.
“But over the weekend, he saw on Channels Television this particular Street and a particular family that looked deprived and he felt that we should reach out to them, as it is the responsibility of the Government to reach out to such families at this time”, Omotoso asserted.
The Commissioner noted that each of the packages brought contains 5kg of Rice, 5kg of Garri, 3kg of beans, seasoning, as well as tomato and pepper mix, adding that it is expected that the pack would feed a family of six for two weeks.
He pointed out that the Lagos State COVID-19 Emergency Food Response Initiative was aimed at reaching out to households, while giving preference to the aged, vulnerable and indigent as a palliative to control the shortage of food supply that might be experienced during the lockdown directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to curb a spread of the pandemic.
Omotoso stressed that apart from providing food to over 200,000 households, the Lagos State Emergency Food Response Initiative has created jobs for over 350 persons who were gainfully engaged in different sections of the food distribution chain.
In his words “Many young Nigerians have been engaged by the COVID-19 Emergency Food Response Initiative coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture to repack food items into smaller units for distribution”.
“The first phase of this programme was supposed to cater to 200,000 households; we have crossed that and we have even moved on to specialised areas. Groups such as the physically challenged people whose data we have through our Office of Disability Affairs; we have moved to societies such as village groups, town groups, ethnic groups all over the place; we have moved to artisans such as Carpenters Associations and even Transport Unions. We are reaching out to many people, apart from the old people whose data we have in our data bank with the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA)”, Omotoso averred.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, Chukwunwe Ike Okpa expressed great joy on receiving his own package and thanked the State Governor for coming to the aid of people in Ajegunle Street, in Ikorodu.
“I’m thanking our Governor for the things he sent to my area. He watched our plight on the news and answered our call because there is nothing for us to eat in this area. I thank him for listening to us. I pray for him that he will reach the next level. I heard how he has been fighting this Coronavirus in Lagos and I can say that he’s doing well. I am using this opportunity to beg him not to stop his good work. I pray that he will not lack anything by the Grace of God. I thank him”, he said.