Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, Martin Oloja

To cushion the effect of the subsidy removal, Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area, Lagos, has distributed food items to over 17,500 residents.
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The gesture, tagged: ‘We-lift Food Bank Initiative,’ saw thousands of beneficiaries from Yusuf Oyero/ Alade Street Ketu, Arowosegbe Primary School Compound, Alapere, Oshogun Alapere, Philip Onashile Street, mile 12, Agboluaje, Agbouyi ll School Primary, Agboluaje Town, Odo -Ogun, Baale Compound, No 23 Oterubi Ogidan Street and Weighbridge Owode Onirin.

Chairman of the council, Dele Oshinowo, represented by the council’s Vice Chairman, Mrs Folake Kayode, who described the programme as successful, said the initiative was in line with the programmes of the federal and Lagos state governments. “You can see that I have lost my voice trying to control the crowd; it has not been easy. We have a mammoth crowd here and they have been here since morning. We are doing our best to ensure the food items go round. We first sorted out the elders, the pregnant women and those with disabilities before allowing other groups into the school compound. We gave out Rice, Garri, Yam and Beans. Each beneficiary has a choice of choosing any two from the food items.”

The council chief said provision was made for 2,500 packs of foodstuffs for each distribution centre. “We have seven wards and the distribution is going on simultaneously in all those seven centres. We will continue this gesture as long as the effects of fuel subsidy removal bite hard. The decision to remove the subsidy is a painful one that we must as a nation take to move forward. There is nobody that is not feeling it but we know that it is for a better tomorrow. It is just like gold. Before gold can be turned to something worthwhile, it would have gone through the goldsmith who will put it in the fire.”

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu meant well for Nigerians. All those developed countries – America, United Kingdom and France among others have passed through this difficult stage. It is our own turn to take that difficult decision to better our future.”

A beneficiary, Hamzat Agboola who appreciated the council boss for the palliative said, “we were given rice and we are really happy about it. The subsidy removal really affects us and we are praying for the government to cushion the effect and come up with measures to bring the situation under control,” he said.

Another beneficiary, Mrs Kemi Esan however appealed to the government to fix the moribund refineries, noting that it would make the fuel available and cheaper. “I have four kids; it is not easy coping with their school fees and other expenses. We pray God should intervene with what is happening in Nigeria and that is why we came to line up here since morning. My kids have not eaten since yesterday, which is why I struggled to be here this morning.”
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