Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has donated foodstuffs worths N2 million to its members and other residents in some parts of Kaduna metropolis to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Food items such as rice, beans, garri and maize worth millions of naira were distributed to RCCG members and residents of six communities.
The communities included Ungwan Television, Sabon Tasha, Nasarawa, Trikania, Bayan Dutse and kakuri, of a Chikun and Kaduna South Local Government Areas of Kaduna State.
The cleric in charge of the RCCG (JESUS EMBASSY), Kaduna Province 5, Pastor Biriok Steven Kasa said the donation was in line with the directives from the Church’s General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
He said the church had just concluded the first phase of the distribution of foodstuffs which was meant only for members of the church while the second phase also comprised of the members of the RCCG and their host communities.
According to him, the church has so far distributed foodstuffs to many homes including members of host communities in both the first and second phases.
Pastor Kasa said the third phase which comes up in two weeks time, would take care of Muslims residence in the church’s catchment areas during the Ramdan period.
He said, “What we are doing is our own little effort from the office of the General Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye towards alleviating the challenges people are facing with respect to COVID-19 pandemic that the world is experiencing to which Nigeria is part of.
“We know that curfew was coming and if people are forced to stay at home, hunger may force them out of their homes. So, the General Overseer approved N2m for Kaduna province 5 to support the food intervention of the RCCG.
“When the money came, we discovered that we can get 200 bags of rice, beans, garri (cassava flakes) as well as maize. We have gone out to share some. This is the second phase of the food intervention.
“The first phase was primarily to members of the RCCG but when we got to the second phase, we give to members and also members of community where we have some of our churches.
“The third phase will be when our Muslim brothers would have started their fasting and we hope to extend it to the Muslim community in our catchment areas.
“In the first phase, we reached out to communities and the second phase, we hope to go beyond what we did in the first phase”.
The cleric also reminded residents that COVID-19 was real and urged them to observed all necessary measures put in place by authorities to curtail the spread of the deadly virus.