by Ridwan Fasasi
Five hundred less privileged people in Oyo State have benefitted from relief packages from Muslim Coalition against COVID-19.
The items distributed are Rice ,Beans and Garri.
The beneficiaries are from ten local governments in the State and were coordinated by five Muslim organisations from the coalition.
The local governments include Afijio, Atiba, Ibarapa, Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South, Ibadan North, Ibadan North West, Ibadan South West, Akinyele and Lagelu.
The five coordinatimg organisations are Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria MSSN, Dawah Front, The Muslim Congress TMC, Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria FOMWAN and Al-Muminat.
At the distribution of the packages in Ibadan to the organisations for onward transfer to the beneficiaries, Oyo State Coordinator of the group, Alhaji Abideen Ladeji said the palliative was to reduce the hardship on the people during the lockdown caused by ravaging coronavirus pandemic.
“The beneficiaries are basically the poor ,irrespective of religion, people with disabilities, these are people who are mostly affected by this lockdown due to coronavirus.”.
“We are starting this pilot distribution in Abuja, Lagos, Rivers ,Oyo and Osun states and we have spent over N5 million for the pilot scheme”.
Alhaji Ladeji said the coaliton which consists of over 50 organisations targeted N500 million to be spent on the vulnerable throughout Nigeria, stressing that they would come back to Oyo State to cover more local governments.
One of the beneficiaries,Mr Tijani Abdullah, who is a physically challenge person, commended the gesture, saying it was timely.
“A lot of physically challenge persons are just there at home suffering from hunger at this period of COVID-19 pandemic luckdown, we really appreciate ithis gesture.”
Another beneficiary, Mrs Oyedele Afsat , also commended the coaliton, saying things are very difficult in this period.
She called on government at all levels to come to the assistance of the less privilege in the society.
Commenting at the pilot centre in Lalupon for Lagelu Local Government, the Chief Imam of Lalupon, Shelkh Waliyulah Otegbeye, said the palliatives would make relief in term of difficulty faced by the less privilege in the society.
