Saturday 28 March 2020

Economic lockdown: Buhari has plans for households as Sanwo-Olu prepares to feed 200,000 families.

Eeconomic lockdown: Buhari has plans for households as Sanwo-Olu prepares to feed 200,000 families.

It has come as a reliable information that President Muhammodu Buhari may be planning household welfare package for Nigerians to cushion the effects of the economic lockdown occasioned by the ongoing war against COVID-19.
This was disclosed today by the Director General of the Nigeria Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development Dr O. Adigwe on the Weekend Deal Programme of the Television Continental (TVC) monitored by Civics Journal.
This came as the Lagos State 9s set to feed 200,000 families all through the period of 14 days lockdown,
 Dr Adigwe said: This administration of President Buhari is the first in six decades of Nigerian history that had tried to look at peoples welfare... and has identified peoples welfare as a priority".
He made this observation while reacting to a viewer's enquiry on the programme. One Janet from Zaria had asked: “Now that we are in a lockdown mode, what can be done in terms of food provision for people like me and my neighbor's that are hungry. We do know that the Lagos State is doing, but we don’t know what obtains in other states?”
Adigwe responded that there was a presidential task force already set up by President Buhari to look into that section. He added that the Federal Government appreciated that necessity as a global practice that the international communities affected by the pandemic before us had done.
He said: “That is a valid question. In the developed world, in addition to fighting COVID-19, they put together stimulus package for their MSMEs. (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and they also provide welfare packages for their people.
(For Nigerian) now, there is a Presidential taskforce that has been put together at the highest level to deal with this.
(Besides), you know there is a Ministry created by this administration's commitment to that even before this pandemic. I am aware that the Minister in Charge of that ministry is part of the Presidential taskforce.
I applaud Lagos State Government, but I want to assure people like Janet from Zaria that very shortly, they will be hearing from the Presidential taskforce".
From the Lagos end was the plan of Lagos to distribute food packs to 200,000 vulnerable families in the State. This was confirmed by the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, when he inspected the items ready for distribution at the Agege office of the States Ministry of Agriculture on Friday.
A food pack contained rice, beans, dry pepper and other kind of food stuff that will be enough to feed a family of six, comprising father, mother and four children and would be enough to serve them for fourteen days.
According to the Governor, the distribution of the food packs would begin distribution to the local government from Monday.