Community head shares bags of rice, sanitizers to residents

Akin Olayemi
To moderate the impacts of the stay-at-home order on residents of his community, traditional head of Otumara, Apapa road and Ojo-oniyun, High chief Kehinde Kalejaiye has shared hand sanitizers and 900 bags of 3kg bag of rice to residents of his community.

According to him, he was influenced by complaints of hunger from some residents of his community hence his decision to relief them of the hardship occasioned by the lockdown.

He disclosed that members of his community who are mainly artisans and menial traders survive on daily wages but since the closure couldn’t earn a living.

He said, “I am motivated by the humane part of my being. It saddened my heart with the number of people that visit my residence daily with complaints of hunger and lack of money.
I am equally disturbed by the sight of people suffering daily due to the lockdown. They need to be empowered and assisted.

So I felt the time is now to stand up to the patriotic call to complement efforts of the Lagos state government by providing food items and hand sanitizers to members of my community and also financial aids to heads of the 10 Community development Associations within Ebute Metta (west) who have been actively involved in creating awareness on the coronavirus disease to the community.”

While appealing to government at all levels to address the burden of needs and hunger factored by the coronavirus pandemic, Kalejaiye cautioned that prolonged hunger could bring about an increasing rate of crime in the state.

He said, “The Lagos state government and indeed the Federal Government should do all within their powers to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on Nigerians. We have been hearing reported cases of armed robbery and thievery in just three weeks of the lockdown.

In some parts of Lagos, precisely on the Lagos Mainland, we heard that some youths robbed cow that is been slaughtered to be shared to residents. At other time, we heard some youths robbed loaves of bread.

At various bus stops, bus conductors and drivers who are rendered idle by the lockdown beg for money from passers-by to feed. Only God knows what they would engage their time in at night.

This is about survival. What is our government doing to ensure that the dignity of an average Nigerian is preserved?

Many Nigerians have turned to beggars all in a bid to survive. An average Nigerian family needs palliatives to cushion the effect of hunger on themselves and families.

Beyond the COVID-19 economic stimulus package by the Lagos state government, both the federal and state government need to make available certain amount of money to every Nigerians as it is done in developing countries. If this continues unchecked, crime rate may increase. So I am appealing to the government to address the challenges of hunger biting hard on members of the society.”

Representing vice-chairman of the Lagos mainland Local Government Council, Hon. Fagba Abiodun advised residents to adhere to the social distancing order and personal hygiene prevent measure, noting that it is one of the ways of containing the spread of coronavirus disease.

He said, “I commend High chief Kalejaiye for his philanthropic acts. This is not the first time he is engaging in such act. Recently, he shared hand sanitizers to residents and now he is distributing bags of rice to complement efforts of the Local Government and the State in bringing relief to the vulnerable.

On behalf of residents, I thank him and also I advise members of the community to stay safe and practice good personal hygiene and avoid crowded places and comply with the social distancing order of the Lagos state government.”

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