Moses Ofodeme
The Oyo State Government has begun the second phase of the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER).
The State Government kick-started the phase with the distribution of 10kg bags of rice to 30,000 residents on Wednesday.
Speaking at the presentation of the food relief item held at the Local Government Training School, Secretariat, Ibadan, the Secretary of the SAfER Committee and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Professor Musibau Babatunde, said the food distribution was aimed at alleviating poverty among residents.
He added that the food relief items would also improve the welfare of the residents, especially the social disadvantaged groups in the state.
According to Babatunde, the beneficiaries of the food relief item were selected across the 33 local government areas of the state and they included widows, the underprivileged, people living with disabilities, the aged and other vulnerable people.
He said: “This ceremony is a symbolic presentation of rice that was given to Oyo State by the Aliko Dangote Foundation.
“The state is already in the second phase of the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER), which has been put together by the governor of the state to alleviate poverty and improve the welfare of the residents. This is part of the strategic partnership the state is forming with the private sector.
“This initiative will cut across socially disadvantaged groups in the state, from the physically challenged to the vulnerable groups and the elderly.
“We are expecting about 30,000 beneficiaries and we are going to ensure it touches all the local government areas in the state.”
Earlier in his speech, the Head of Operations, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Lagos, Mr Edero Victor Ejiro, said the initiative to distribute one million bags of 10kg rice to the vulnerable, widows, underprivileged and people going through hardship across the country, started in 2024.
He commended the Governor Makinde administration for supporting the poorest of the poor, the needy and the vulnerable in the state, stressing that the Aliko Dangote Foundation would complement the efforts through the donations of food materials for nutritional and economic empowerment.
He urged the beneficiaries to also share with people around them, saying: “I am here to present 30,000 bags of 10kg rice to Oyo State.
“Our chairman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, came up with this initiative last year, that we should distribute one million bags across the nation. We did it last year and we are also doing it now.
“So, I am here to deliver the package to Oyo State. I want to also state categorically that the Foundation has been in existence for over 30 years and we are grounded in three key areas including empowerment, nutrition and education.
“We are here to help on the nutritional aspect and that of the economic empowerment aspect, because we know that the country is bedevilled with hardship and the governors of various states, especially in Oyo State, are coming up with various initiatives to combat hunger and other crises.
“So, this one is just a kind of complementary effort to what the governor of the state is doing for the needy and the vulnerable in society.
“We are very sure that the committee in place meant to handle the distribution would do a thorough job to make sure this rice gets to the vulnerable and our target audience.
“So far, we are impressed with what we have seen and we know they will do a good job to ensure everything goes round.”
Delivering a vote of thanks, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Disability Matters, Hon. Olufemi Timothy, appreciated Governor Makinde and the donor, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, for their support to the needy.
Some of the beneficiaries; Mrs Omotayo Borode, Alhaji Tajudeen Olapade and Mr Emmanuel Adepoju, expressed their gratitude to Governor Makinde and the Aliko Dangote Foundation for their support.
The event had in attendance some government functionaries and selected beneficiaries across the 33 local governments in the state.