COKER-AGUDA RESIDENTS REJOICE AS LCDA CHAIR, HON. RASAQ OLAMILEKAN EMBARKS ON 6 PHASES OF PALLIATIVE DISTRIBUTION; 2,100 HOUSEHOLDS GET FOOD SUPPLY IN AUGUST
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
The youngest male Chairman in Lagos state, Hon. Rasaq Olamilekan Ibrahim yesterday embarked on a series of palliative distribution which he intends to bring succor to the less-privileged in his Coker-Aguda LCDA. In the first phase which happened yesterday, Trek Africa Newspaper can report that 2,100 households were catered to with food supply comprising rice, beans, gari, and spaghetti.
Speaking on the importance of the move, the Coker-Aguda LCDA Chairman, Hon. Rasaq Olamilekan Ibrahim said: ‘This is to quench the thirst of our people. Many people need this help. This platform is to share the palliatives and to tour the 7 wards in this LCDA to reach out to the disabled, the poor, the women, the alfas, the pastors, the youths, the artisans, everybody in general. Today’s palliative can’t get to everyone. We have about 2,100 households for this. It is the first batch. But it will eventually get to everyone. The next batch will be more than this. We will consistently do this every month till December. This one is from the LCDA, our own administration. When that of the Federal Government comes, we will add it to this one for the people.’
On how they picked the beneficiaries for this first batch of deliveries, the Chairman fondly called Hon. RIO told Trek Africa Newspaper, ‘We went to houses to get names of people that need the palliative. We collected the names so that it won’t be that one person is collecting twice. We have other forms of palliative, for example, we gave 100 GCE forms out, we organized holiday coaching for 2,000 students with snacks and drinks shared for the children.’
His encouragement to the people of Coker/Aguda LCDA and others across the country, ‘Everything that will be good will go through stress but it will lead to smiles. I want Nigerians to be patient over the subsidy removal. I ask our people to pray for our President Asiwaju Tinubu and to relax that they will get more palliatives. I pray for our President that God would give him wisdom and strength to be able to do all the good things he wants to do and we pray that those things will get to the grassroots.’
On his part, the Vice-Chairman of Coker/Aguda LCDA, Barr. Matthew Olanrewaju Olaleye who led the effort as the Chairman of the Palliatives Committee said: ‘We are gathered here for goodies. We know that the subsidy removal has caused a lot of stress for our people, we are feeling it too. That is why we have decided to do this at Coker/Aguda. It is a full package containing rice, beans, garri and spaghetti. The criteria is for you to be a resident of Coker-Aguda. Whether you are APC, PDP, doesn’t concern us. It is for all of us. We also learned that the Federal Government has released some money. If we use that to do something again, it is something.’
‘As the Chairman of the Palliatives Committee, I can tell you that this package is approximately N10,000. This is 1 paint each which is about 5 derica and 2 packs of spaghetti. This should feed the family for about 2 weeks and it captures about 2100 households and we will do it for 5-6 months. My advice to people is that they shouldn’t sell it. It is for their consumption.’
‘My chairman, the youngest male Chairman in Lagos, is youth-centric. We have programs which are youth-oriented. For example, some youths are currently learning solar light installation. We have other programs targeted at youths’, Olaleye told Trek Africa Newspaper.
A beneficiary of the palliative package, Elder Funsho Onibudo said: ‘This is a new era and we embrace it. We hope that it will continue. We appreciate the Council chairman. We want him to do more.
The distribution flag-off had the Secretary to the Local Government; Council manager; council treasurer; councilors, supervisors; representative of the Ojora of Ojoraland; Coker-Aguda APC apex leader, Baba Somefun; Coker-Aguda APC deputy apex leader, prince Adanla; the Baba Oja General of Coker-Aguda LCDA; Dr. Sodiq; Alhaji Sarumi; Mrs. Ajagunna; women leaders, and other stakeholders in the local council.
