Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
The Food and Relief Committee constituted by the Osun State governor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola to ameliorate the effects of lockdown occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, commenced distribution of food and relief materials to  vulnerable people across the state.
The secretary of the 21-man committee,  Chief Adebayo Jimoh, said in Osogbo on Tuesday that the distribution would be done in accordance with the World Bank-approved social investment registers to ensure that the stimulus package gets to the needy.
He maintained that the Committee would ensure equity, transparency and accountability in the discharge of its responsibilities.
 Jimoh added that the palliatives would be distributed across socio-economic, political and religious divides.
He disclosed that the distribution would commence delivery through the Christian leaders, Muslims leaders, civil society organisers and focal staff in each of the local governments areas.
He also disclosed that the committee had expended over N150 million for the procurement of the food stuffs, noting that only the  identified vulnerable and indigent citizens captured in the social investment register of the state would benefit from the gestures.
He added that the distribution would be done in tranches as soon as the resources came in.
Jimoh said that the exercise would be monitored and supervised from the take-off venue to the doorsteps of the beneficiaries as part of efforts to ensure credibility and accountability.
“We have come to commence formally the food distribution which the committee has been able to source from eminent sons and daughters of the state for the less privileged and vulnerable people as a succor in the State of Osun,” he noted.
“As a Committee, we have a programme of continuity and this is just the first phase of distribution. We have spent N150 million for the procurement of food stuffs such as rice, beans, garri, noodles, eggs, among others.
“This first tranche is to provide for those identified on the social registers through out the 31 local government areas in the State.
” The process has involved a lot of planning involving all stakeholders in the State; Christian leaders, Muslim leaders, traditional rulers, elders in the society, representative of the governments, focal staff of all local governments, civil society organizations, local government chairmen, community development associations, among others,” Jimoh said.
“They all have the list containing phone numbers, addresses and locations of the vunerable people that have been identified in the social register.
“We are doing all these to ensure that the products get to the targeted beneficiaries.
In their separate remarks, the representatives of the religious organisations and Civil Society Organizations lauded the state government and the members of the committee for alleviating the hardship that the people are going through due to the lockdown.