COVID-19: Foreign Affairs Minister Lends Strength To palliatives Distribution In Enugu State
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has provided relief items worth millions of naira, for distribution to various needy groups in Enugu State, as palliatives to mitigate the harsh effects of the control measures put in place by government, to prevent spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The items categorised into edibles and non-edibles, were procured under the aegis of Kwusike Foundation chaired by the Honourable Minister, at an event for the distribution at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, with Enugu State government also taking delivery of some of the items, mostly personal Protective Equipment and medical kits provided for it by the Foundation.
According to peculiarity of needs, the food items which included bags of rice, bags of beans, cartons of noodles, tubers of yam, as well as various household materials such as toiletries, were handed over to representatives of different homes for the destitute including Mother of Christ and Red Cross motherless babies homes, Old People’s home as well as widowhood groups and People Living With Disabilities.
In his remarks while handing over the relief items, the minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said ” the aim is to cushion, ameliorate or mitigate the effects of hardship posed by COVID-19 pandemic”
The Foreign Affairs minister who was represented by the factional chairman of All Progressives Congress in Enugu State, Deacon Okey Ogbodo, urged Nigerians to maintain their resilience in the austere moment occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I wish to thank you for your humble conduct,
prayers for the country and resilience to the situation”, he said.
A prominent personality in Enugu State, Rtd Gen. Chris Ugwu in his comments, observed that”lockdown has made it impossible for the people to go and look for their daily bread” and charged the representatives to ensure equitable distribution of the Palliatives.
Gen. Ugwu added that “if you can feed yourself, if you can feed your relatives, you don’t need it”
Receiving the Foundation’s offer on behalf of the state government, the state commissioner for Health Dr Ifeanyi Agujiobi thanked the minister for following the people-driven path of the state government, expressing hope that the offer would drive the state to greater height in the effort to assuage the people’s suffering.
Dr Agujiobi who lamented the current status of the state, recording eight confirmed cases of COVID-19, however expressed hope that “it will be wrestled to defeat like the previous two index cases in Enugu State” and charged the people to continue on the path of the precautionary measures as proffered by the government and relevant bodies.
Also, the Special Adviser to the state governor on Information, Steve Oruruo who was part of the state team on the ground to receive the materials, commended the minister for augumenting the state government’s efforts in cushioning the effects of the current socio-economic imbroglio of the scourge.
Oruruo opined that “the gesture is contagious just as the COVID-19 is contagious”, stressing that it could attract more people to the global needs of coming to the rescue of the less privileged and making greater contributions to overall societal interest.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Sam Udekwe is a journalist working in the News and Current Affairs department, Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Enugu. He is well trained in all genres of journalistic venture.
Mr Sam read Mass Communication, graduating all with Distinction in National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma at IMT, Enugu and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state, while he is presently on his M.Sc programme also in Mass Communication, at National Open University of Nigeria.
He is currently the NUJ Chairman, Enugu state.
samowailo@gmail.com
