COVID-19: Abeokuta South Residents Commend Shomide For Relief Materials

Hon. Ayo Shomide

Michael-Azeez Ogunsiji

ABEOKUTA - The efforts of the Ogun State government at ameliorating the foreseeable pains associated with the sit at home directive of the federal government has received another boost as the Transition chairman, Abeokuta South local government, Hon. Ayodeji Shomide has distributed food items to people of the council area.

Shomide while speaking at the event to distribute the relief items to people at the council secretariat, Ake, Abeokuta said the gesture was to complement what the state government would be giving the people of the state. 

The handsome council boss added that the local government has also distributed hand sanitizers and other protective gears to some of the residents to protect them from COVID-19 and urged the residents to fully comply with the lockdown order in the State.

Speaking on the rationale behind the distribution of food items, the council boss said the donation of the items became imperative to alleviate the hardships the people might face as a result of the lockdown in the State.

He said the beneficiaries who are mostly the vulnerable people in the LGA were selected across party lines, insisting that the selection process was free and fair.

Shomide said, “This is just a kind gesture for the people of Abeokuta South Local government, to show them how important they are to us.”

The council boss assisted by his Vice and Secretary to the Local government handing out the relief foodstuff to one of the beneficiaries

“We opened this food bank and we received support from notable people within Abeokuta South Local government, which include the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, the Balogun of Egbaland, the Seriki of Egbaland, Chief Dr. Majekodunmi, a lot of people supported us and they donated to us.”

“In line with this, we just have to give out to our people because we know it is not going to be easy for them to sit at home at this period without having anything to eat. In the process of going round to sensitise them, they have been asking us, what are we going to eat? Won’t you provide something for us to eat?”

“The State government has really tried and they are willing and ready to give out relief materials in terms of food to the citizens of Ogun State in general which Abeokuta South Local government is going to be a beneficiary of this programme by the State government but before this will commence, we just want to prove to our people and show them we are really ready and concerned about them.”

“And that is why Abeokuta South Local government has decided to complement the State government is planning to do. That of the State government, we have made arrangements, we have called the stakeholders’ meeting, we have set up a relief committee that is going to distribute all these items.”

“We are not doing it by political party, it does not matter what party you belong to in Ogun State, we are doing it per household. We are giving it to families not to parties, not to societies, not to associations but we are giving it to families, households within Ogun State”, Shomide said.

Also speaking, one of the beneficiaries, Comrade Ayodeji Ishola, the President of the Ogun State chapter of Blind Human Right Association of Nigeria, commended the LG and the Chairman, for the kind gesture.

His words, “I want to appreciate the Ogun State government and Governor Dapo Abiodun for this kind gesture for disabled people and the masses generally. I want to also specially appreciate the Chairman of the Abeokuta South Local government, Hon. Ayodeji Shomide.”

“I really love their support for the less privileged  because some government in the past, they used to discriminate against the physically challenged,” Ishola said.