As the lockdown order by the Federal Government to mitigate against the spread of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) take its toll on the populace of Lagos state, the Executive Chairman Onigbongbo LCDA Hon Babatunde Oke visited homes of indigent and vulnerable persons above the age of 60 that are residents of the local government to distribute food stimulus of a quarter bag rice or beans, hand sanitizers and to advocate the essence of social distancing on Thursday.
The over a thousand bags of food stimulus package and hand sanitisers to vulnerable and indigent’s residents of Onigbongbo local government started in the Olusosun Ward at the Koto Kwara settlement of the local government.
Oke in a brief interview with the Lagos Panorama correspondent on the visitation team, alluded that in support of the effort put in place by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu Lagos State administration with the food stimulus to cushion the effect of the lockdown on residents of Lagos.
Oke stated that “we at the grassroots are the closest to the people so we have to in every way support the efforts of both the state and federal governments in curbing the spread of the deadly coronavirus which actually necessitated the lockdown to enable social distancing.
“This premised the idea of taking the food relief stimulus to the homes of our respective beneficiaries which must be at least 60 years, indigent who are mostly vulnerable so as to ameliorate living during this hard time occasioned by the lockdown”.
“The lockdown is a basic need to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world. So both government and the people must work together to achieve this goal”
“It will be difficult for government to feed everyone with the current economy situation hence the selection of the indigent vulnerable elderly persons residing within our locality”
The Chairman and his team started the visitation at Olusosun about 10 am to 85 beneficiaries across the 6 wards of Onigbongbo LCDA and at terminated at about 5.30pm at Wasimi-Maryland Ward.
One of the beneficiaries Elder F Orukpe at the Wasimi ward expressed his gratitude to the council chairman “this is really timely for me, this lockdown is very necessary because of the virus but as a retiree it’s not so easy to sustain the situation but the rice from the council chairman came at the right time to cushion the effect. I thank him for this king gesture, may the good Lord continue to bless him and all the council officials”
An elderly woman at Koto Kwara in Olusosun in an excitement mood prayed for the Chairman for a live saving food. Mama also prayed to God to help stop dreaded deadly COVID-19 ravaging the entire world.
The Chairman Community Development Committee (CDC) Onigbongbo LCDA Mr Yayah Karowosaye Olanrewaju thanked the Chairman for his show of love and concern towards the welfare of the people of Onigbongbo especially at this perilous time.
Honourable Oke after the visitation noted that “the distribution will continue within respective wards by ward committees which include councillors, Chairmen Community Development Associations (CDA) in the respective wards.
“Others include supervisory Councillors and other community leaders of respective ward to ensure an equitable distribution of the stimulus without any political nor ethnocentric bias as alluded in some quarters”
“They are also to enlighten the people of the required social distancing and other precautionary behaviour like washing of hands regularly, no handshake, cough into your elbow, sneeze into a tissue and immediately dispose the tissue into a waste-bin, don’t put your hand near or on your face, mouth, nose, eye and so on and so forth”.
“This is not the time to play football neither the time for jogging on the road but time for total lockdown, stay at home so as to stop this deadly COVID-19 from spreading once and for all” the amiable chairman concluded.
