Governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has revealed the sharing formula, mode of distribution and category of beneficiaries for the state’s food relief package.
He stated that contrary to what some believe, the food relief package is meant for all the residents of Lagos state.
It would be recalled that Lagos State Executive Council had set up welfare packages to ease the discomfort of the lockdown on residents, especially the poor who earn daily income.
Numerous accusations, complaints and criticisms have, however, trailed the relief package as many residents alleged bias and lies in its distribution.
Sanwo-Olu, giving an update on the issue on Tuesday, re-emphasised that the first stage of the welfare package was designed to cater for 200,000 households, with each household comprising a father, mother and four children only across the 20 local governments and 37 local council development authorities (LCDA).
The governor posited it was a misconception that the package was meant for all residents in the state.
He clarified that the package was targeted at only indigent and vulnerable members of the society and disclosed that about 100,000 households across the state had been reached since the exercise started.
Sanwo-Olu added that;
All aged residents who are above 60 years of age and are registered with the Lagos State Residents’ Registration Agency (LASRRA) were sent text messages and requested to confirm the accuracy of their details, such as name and home address. They have since responded to the text messages so as to benefit from the package.
He said that the food relief materials for those above 60 years were being delivered directly to them by representatives of the state government based on the data with LASRRA.
The governor explained further that the other category of beneficiaries comprised the indigent and vulnerable in the various communities at the grassroots.
He stressed that;
As part of strategies to ensure that the relief packages reach the deserving beneficiaries, the state government involved Community Development Associations (CDAs) and their Committees, as well as community and religious leaders to collate the names of community members who deserve to benefit from the palliative measure. The CDAs were also tasked to ensure the items were judiciously distributed.
Confirming that the state government had observed some lapses that gave rise to the negative comments about the distribution on some social media platforms, Sanwo-Olu assured the residents that the problems identified were being addressed and the distribution strategies being fine-tuned.
He appealed to the residents to remain confident that the state government was working hard to ensure that the vulnerable benefit from the “laudable” intervention.
