The Osun State government says it would, tomorrow, Wednesday 8, April, begin the distribution of food and relief materials to residents of the state tomorrow, as part of efforts to cushion the effects of the state-wide lockdown.
The government noted that plans had also been concluded to ensure that the palliative measures reach people across the nooks and crannies of the state.
The Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji disclosed this on Tuesday in Osogbo while fielding questions from journalists shortly after he received a truck ladden with variety of food items donated by the management of Wema Bank Plc.
Oyebamiji said the distribution of the food items to the residents was in furtherance of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s commitment to the welfare and well-being of the citizenry.
It would be recalled that Governor Oyetola last week Tuesday, constituted a 21-man Food and Relief committee that was saddled with the responsibility of working out modalities to cushion the effect of restriction placed on human and vehicular movements amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Oyebamiji maintained that the administration would leave no stone unturned to ameliorate whatever the hardship people may face due to te lockdown, adding that every household would be taken care of particularly the vulnerable ones in the course of the distribution exercise.
“The distribution of the gifts to the people will commence tomorrow Wednesday by the grace of God from the State government without necessarily waiting for more gifts expected from individuals as support.
“As a government, we have plans whether gifts come or do not come, we know we have social responsibility to our people. We are elected to be in government and we owe a duty to them.
“We must cater for their welfare, not only taking care of their health but also ensure that the well-being of the generality of the populace”, he added.
Oyebamiji commended the numerous supports received from members of the public particularly members of the private sector and other well-meaning individuals, saying that the government would continue to appreciate its supportive friends, partners and donors in the efforts to contain the spread of the disease in the State.
“The Governor of the State of Osun, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola is delighted at the gifts given to the state government by Wema Bank and other individuals in the private and public sectors. We promise them that we shall make judicious use of the gifts for the generality of our people.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman Cititrust holdings Plc, Mr Adewole Adekunle, while delivering a truck of food items to the state government, said the gesture was aimed at support the efforts of Governor Oyetola in the fight against the scourge of Coronavirus.
Adekunle who described the gesture as part of the organization’s social responsibility to the people, noted that similar gesture had been replicated in other states of Nigeria including other 10 countries in Africa.
He said the company had come to Osun to deliver bags of rice, spaghetti, vegetable power oil and noddles to support the immediate needs of the masses.
Also, the Osun State Zonal Manager of Wema Bank Plc, Mr Adeniji Adeyeni who led other officials of the bank to deliver a truckload of food items to the state government, commended efforts of the State government in managing Coronavirus outbreak in the State.
He said the Bank as part of its corporate social responsibilities, deemed it fit to support the government in its efforts to provide food and relief materials to residents during the ‘Stay at Home’ period.
He also commended the administration of Governor Oyetola for creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and for being supportive of the private sector since he came on board as Governor of the State.
“As a company that knows its responsibility to the people, we have come to deliver over 3000 bags of rice, packs of vegetable oil, spaghetti and noddles to support the efforts of the Osun State government”, Adeyeni said.
Monarchs hail Oyetola for taking proactive steps
Traditional rulers in the State of Osun have thrown their weight behind the administration of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola for taking proactive steps in curtailing the exponential spread of the dreaded Coronavirus disease in the State.
The traditional rulers also commended the state government for declaring total lockdown of the state as a way to prevent the communal spread of the disease just as they expressed satisfaction with the steps taken so far by the government to fight the scourge.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary General of the Osun Divisional Conference of Obas, the Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Kayode Oyedotun and Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi respectively.
The monarchs who expressed sadness over the spread of the virus lauded the State government for taking the bull by the horns even before the confirmation of the first COVID-19 case in the State.
“All Obas in Osun central and Osun West areas of the state express strong support for the efforts of His Excellency, Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola, the Executive Governor of the state on the total lockdown meant to curtail the further spread of the Corona virus in our dear state.
“It is painful that the scourge which is ravaging all countries of the world found its way into Nigeria and of recent to our state. The spread is no doubt a matter of concern to Obas who are the closest to our people.
“We salute the proactive steps taken by our Governor so far since the virus sneaked into Nigeria. We are satisfied with the steps so far taken by our governor as we urge him not to relent in his efforts,” the statement reads in part.
The traditional rulers also urged residents of Osun to continue to support the government by adhering strictly to government’s directives and guidelines set out to prevent the spread of the virus.
“We like to plead with residents of the state to abide by the guidelines set out by government to prevent the spread. Notably, we have been instructed to observe social distancing, wash our hands frequently, avoid crowded areas; cough or sneeze inside tissue paper or in our arms and most importantly, stay safe at our respective homes.
“We are aware of the fact that some of the directives may be painful. We advise that we should all endure the discomfort. It is just for a short time. It would soon become a thing of the past.
“It is sad to state that countries whose public health institutions and economy surpass that of Nigeria are sweating profusely under the excruciating burden of the pandemic. The global economy and in particular that of Nigeria as well as our dear state are not exempted.
“Our prayer is that this health emergency does not last long. We need to show understanding with the government of the state and to support the good efforts meant to curtail the spread.
“We advise that our sons and daughters who are outside the state should equally observe stay at home wherever they are in the country and elsewhere so that the virus does not spread further.
“We must all be vigilant and save ourselves from the scourage. We must support our government at the state and federal levels to win the war against the pandemic.
“We urge all our people not to panic; obey government directives, wash our hands regularly or use hand sanitizers where available; maintain social distancing; learn to avoid touching our faces; cover our mouth with tissue paper while coughing or sneezing and stay safe at home. With unity of purpose we will win this war”, the statement added.