As part of its poverty alleviation efforts, the Oyo State Government has distributed 10kg bags of rice to 30,000 residents, kick-starting the second phase of the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) in the state.
During the presentation of the food relief items held at the Local Government Training School, Secretariat, Ibadan, the Secretary of the SAfER Committee and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Professor Musibau Babatunde, said the food items will improve the welfare of residents, especially the socially disadvantaged groups in the state.
Prof. Babatunde revealed that the beneficiaries of the food relief item were selected across the 33 Local Government Areas of the state including widows, the underprivileged, people living with disabilities, the aged, and other vulnerable people.
He said: “This ceremony is a symbolic presentation of rice that was given to Oyo State by the Aliko Dangote Foundation.
“The state is already in the second phase of the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER), which has been put together by the governor of the state to alleviate poverty and improve the welfare of the residents. This is part of the strategic partnership the state is forming with the private sector.”
Earlier in his speech, the Head of Operations, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Lagos, Mr Edero Victor Ejiro, said the initiative to distribute one million bags of 10kg rice to the vulnerable, widows, underprivileged and people going through hardship across the country, was conceived by the Chairman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and started in 2024.
He commended the Governor Makinde administration for supporting the poorest of the poor, the needy and the vulnerable in the state, stressing that the Aliko Dangote Foundation will complement the efforts through the donation of food materials for nutritional and economic empowerment, and urged the beneficiaries to also share with people around them.
Edero said: “I want to state categorically that the Foundation has been in existence for over 30 years and we are grounded in three key areas including empowerment, nutrition and education.
“We are here to help on the nutritional aspect and that of the economic empowerment aspect, because we know that the country is bedeviled with hardship and the governors of various states, especially Oyo State, are coming up with various initiatives to combat hunger and other crises.”
He explained that the effort is meant to be complementary to what the governor of the state is doing for the needy and the vulnerable in society, expressing confidence that the committee in place meant to handle the distribution will do a thorough job to make sure the rice gets to the vulnerable and the target audience.
Delivering a vote of thanks, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Disability Matters, Mr Olufemi Timothy, appreciated Governor Makinde and the donor, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, for their support to the needy.
Some of the beneficiaries: Mrs Omotayo Borode, Alhaji Tajudeen Olapade and Mr Emmanuel Adepoju, expressed their gratitude to Governor Makinde and the Aliko Dangote Foundation for their support.
The event had in attendance some government functionaries and selected beneficiaries across the 33 Local Government Areas in the state.
Olusola Akintonde