Sanwo-Olu unveils social interventions for 500,000 households

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has officially launched the Lagos State Social Intervention programme, tagged “EKO CARES,” with the distribution of foodstuff to 500,000 households and vulnerable people.

Sanwo-Olu, during the distribution at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, maintained that his administration’s palliatives had touched the life of every resident in the area of public transportation, health, works in the public service and feeds from agricultural food items sold at the ‘Ounje Eko’ markets.

The governor, who noted that the food items would be distributed through community leaders, religious organisations, trade unions, youth organisations and people with disabilities clusters, urged stakeholders not to hoard the foodstuff but to be their brother’s keepers.

He said: “What is happening today, it’s really for us to make you see what has been our growth plan in the last six to eight weeks. During my last media chat in February, I said we would set up a lot of verticals where we can help and assist our citizens to be able to access food at cheaper rates and be able to give succour to our citizens in health, education, food security and all areas.

“It sounded as if it was just a promise that we were making and would not be able to keep.”

“We also mentioned that we will be having a discount on all of our transportation that is under the ambit of the state government. I am sure that you will continue to enjoy the rebate in all of the BRT buses, ferry and train services and so we have kept those promises again.

“But the big one that we are here to launch is our attempt to touch directly about 500,000 households. In the last six weeks, we have gone ahead to package foodstuff, edibles, and others, which will be distributed through the local councils, CDAs, unions, religious bodies and all various stakeholders that we have and we will ensure the foodstuff gets to the vulnerable in our society.

“The objective is for us to be able to ensure that food is not one of the issues that will continue to challenge the vulnerable in our society.”

Earlier in his welcome address, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said that Eko Cares was an aggregate of all the measures designed to ease the pains of vulnerable citizens who have no one else to turn to for succour.