Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, on Thursday restated his administration’s commitment to providing palliatives to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the vulnerable group in the state.
The governor who restated this commitment shortly after inspecting the state’s Food Bank at Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area, said credible Deltans, including local government council chairmen, the clergy, opinion leaders, women and youth representatives, had been appointed into committees to ensure that the food items got to the right people.
According to him, bulk of the food items, including rice and beans, which will be distributed in a few days, were procured by the state government and the rest came from donors.
Okowa thanked the donors for the support and called on others to contribute to the three food banks established by the state government at Ibusa, Warri and Asaba.
He stressed that more food items were needed to enable the government cover all parts of the state in distribution, assuring that the distribution would commence at the weekend to the various wards, and added that measures had been put in place to ensure that the food items got to the vulnerable irrespective of their political or other leanings.
“We have food stocked in our warehouses in Ibusa, Asaba and Warri and these are the three spots from which we will commence distribution to our various wards and villages.
“We have beans for distribution; we also have rice, noodles and some other food items for distribution and we have constituted committees comprising every local government chairman, members of the House of Assembly, religious leaders.
“The committees have been put in place at the local government and at the ward levels, and we have emphasised that there will be no politics in the distribution of these items. It is for every Deltan and non-Deltan living in the state.
“Once we perfect the processes being put in place by the committee at the state level, we will commence distribution at the weekend and it is our prayer that they will reach out to the most indigent among our people.
“We also appeal to privileged citizens in our various communities to support the effort of government,’” the governor said.
He also announced that some persons and organizations had made fiscal donations to the states COVID-19 account at the bank and expressed appreciation to the donors.
“I appeal to people who will want to make donations to please attend to us at this point in time because people are actually in need,” he added.
The governor disclosed that the fourth confirmed case of COVID-19 in the state was being treated at one of the Isolation Centres in Asaba, adding that the patients currently on treatment at the centres in the state were doing well.
He said that more blood samples of suspected cases had been sent to the laboratory for test, and advised Deltans with symptoms of the virus to quickly reach out to medical experts or COVID-19 team to avert complications and infection of other persons.