Zika Bobby
A Lagos based grocery shop owner in Aguda Surulere area of the state, Alhaja Bisi Sanda has described as pathetic the plight of millions of people left unattended to in Government distribution of palliatives.
According to her the effect of the Covid19 pandemic for many non victim of the disease would have been hunger or malnutrition induced sicknesses.
Sanda who has been distributing cooked food to the needy in her neighborhood described her intervention as an action borne out of passion.
She called on other Nigerians to reach out to their immediate communities from the little they have because waiting on government and big corporations have not reached millions of persons in need.
“I started with a pack of and had to double and triple the quantity and number of packs because we cannot pretend to be unaware of the hardship people are facing.
” They hear about Federal Government and state government palliative but they never saw it. They also hear about cows and goats being slaughtered in the local government secretariat but it never got to them here.
“We have to prepare cooked food for them because many also do not have the means to set up their kitchens for food preparation this period. Buying of cooking gas or kerosene this period is not a cheap venture for them, I must say.
“Some had jobs that gives them daily money while some who are job seekers earned their living from the few who work, but with the lockdown, a good number of people got stuck at home without food and money.
“I reached out to my kids abroad telling them the situation in our neighborhood. Of course they are abreast with news so they get information through the media too and they supported me.
“With our humble efforts, we have been able to reach out to hundreds of people and we tried to make a variety of meals by not repeating the same kind of food.
“There were days, I reached out to bakeries where I bought loaves of bread adding a can or tin of fish for them, we also do rice and sometimes African foods like semovita with soup
“I had to expand the kitchen by getting more assistants to help with cooking, serving and distribution of our cooked food.
“I am calling on Nigerians who have to give to do so this period as a way of fighting the Covid19 pandemic. People will abide by stay at home advise if they have what to eat or are sure food will come.
“Lack of food, money and hope for daily means of survival, can worsen the spread of the pandemic as people may take avoidable risks of leaving their homes to a world of uncertainty that could endanger their lives and the community.
” Giving to the needy is one way to fight the pandemic. As we can see, the figures from Nigeria Center for Disease Control NCDC is still a matter of concern,” she said.