By Dare Ojelade, Lagos
The Executive Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area, Lagos, Southwest, Nigeria, Princess Samiat Abolanle Bada has disclosed that over 10,000 residents of the council have benefited from the distribution of Covid-19 food relief package provided by the council in particular and the Lagos state government in general, since the beginning of the Federal Government lockdown in the state on March 30th.
The council chairman disclosed this at the council secretariat on Wednesday, 15 April, 2020 shortly before the commencement of distribution of food relief package to youths across the seven wards in the council area.
Princess Bada explained that the first phase of the food distribution exercise took place on April 2nd, when the first edition of her administration’s monthly food for the widow and the aged programme was carried out in all the seven wards of the council.
She added that food bags containing rice, beans and garri were distributed to 2500 widows and the aged from 65 years and above during the exercise and it coincided with the commencement of the lockdown ordered by President Mohammed Buhari in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, as part of measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus disease.
Princess Bada explained further that a similar exercise was carried out a week later when the stimulus package of the Lagos state government arrived at Kosofe Local Government and a large number of residents of Ikosi-Isheri benefitted from the food package tagged ‘Covid-19 Stimulus Package’.
The food stuffs were handed over to leaders of all the community development associations in Kosofe Local Government, Agboyi-Ketu and Ikosi-isheri Local Councils Development Areas by the state Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment in Lagos State, Chief(Mrs) Yetunde Arobieke,who was personally on ground to supervise the exercise.
The council chief, who is the first female Executive Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA commended the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu for his determination, commitment and unrelenting efforts towards ensuring that the spread of the novel disease is contained in the state and for being compassionate about the well being of Lagosians during the lockdown, by introducing various palliative measures to cushion the effects on the people most especially the vulnerable and the poor.
She said the rationale behind the food relief package being distributed by her administration is to ensure that residents of the council,most especially the vulnerable ones will not have any excuse not to obey the stay at home rule.
She said, “at the local government level, we have ensured that all the vulnerable people like the widow, the aged, disabled, artisans, transporters, religious and community leaders as well as petty traders have benefited from our food relief package, and the goal behind this is to ensure they have food to eat as they stay at home”.
Princess Bada noted that recent spate of attacks and armed robbery cases recorded in some parts of the state informed her decision to extend the food relief package to the youths of the council.
She commended them for not engaging in any criminal activity since the lockdown began and appealed to them to continue to be law abiding.She promised them that her administration will continue to make their welfare a priority.
The Mayoress as she is popularly called, assured the residents of the council that her administration will continue to devise various means of cushioning the effects of the lockdown on them.
In compliance with the social distancing rule, as one of the measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease, the youths lined up in an orderly manner to receive the food package from the council chairman.
Earlier, before commencement of the distribution of the food relief package to the youths, the Mayoress led environmental health officials of the council to fumigate the council secretariat and some streets around the council secretariat.
The environmental health officials in the last three weeks have been visiting major markets, public places and residential areas within the council to carry out fumigation exercise as part of measures to curtail the spread of the virus.
