From Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
No fewer than 3,000 households in Sokoto State, are to benefit from covid-19 palliative donated by the Victims Support Fund, a nonprofit organization.
The items include foodstuffs such as packages of rice, beans, salts, maize and vegetable oil while medical items include hand sanitizers, face masks and other protective materials.
The organisation also donated three solar powered boreholes in each school of the three senatorial zones in the state.
Speaking at the presentation on Friday, Chairman of the organization, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma Rtrd., said the gesture is to cushion the effects of economic hardship caused by the pandemic last year.
Danjuma, who was represented by Chairperson, VSF Taskforce on Covid-19, Toyosi Akerele Ogunsiji, highlighted the efforts of the Federal Government in ensuring the wellbeing of its citizens at all times.
She explained that the Fund was established in 2014 to care for those who were displaced as a result of the insurgency in the northeast states.
Toyosi recalled that during the pandemic, the taskforce embarked on a nationwide distribution of the Federal Government’s palliatives, saying that the organisation would extend its humanitarian service across the 36 states of the federation.
“We have visited 36 states, and donated similar items to the vulnerable people. We are now in Sokoto state. We believe these items will be judiciously distributed among the beneficiaries.” Toyosi said.
She disclosed that six civil society organizations in the state have been selected to complement the state government in the onward disbursement to the beneficiaries.
“We have mandated these CSOs to handle the disbursement of 50 percent of the items while the state government will distribute the remaining 50 percent to the needy.”
She however advised Nigerians to ensure personal hygiene, saying that recent reports from National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) have shown that there is resurgence of Covid-19 pandemic in recent days.
“Just yesterday reports from National Cent (NCDC) showed that two persons died as a result of COVID19 pandemic in the country. We need to protect and prevent ourselves from being infected.” Toyosi noted.
On the donation of boreholes, the Chairperson explained that the organization is concerned about school children’s wellbeing stressing that the gesture will reduce child mortality rate as a result of outbreak of waterborne diseases.
In his remarks, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state represented by the State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Muhammad Ali Inamme thanked the organization for the benevolence gesture.
He described the donation as timely saying it will go a long way in complementing government efforts in ameliorating the plights of the less privileged.
The Governor further disclosed that in 2020, his government had distributed palliative measures to no fewer than 45,000 households in the state to cushion the effects of Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier, Wife of the Governor, Hajia Maryam Tambuwal who was represented by Hajia Fatima Khalid called on other notable organizations to emulate the CSF humanitarian efforts.