• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Osinbajo appeals for help on behalf of poor Nigerians

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Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of the vice president of Nigeria, has urged influential and privileged Nigerians to show love and compassion to the poor within their respective communities.

Osinbajo appealed at the launch of the Morpepe Project 250k-aimed at providing food for vulnerable children, held in Lagos recently.

“My appeal is to encourage us to find someone in need just within your vicinity, and choose, perhaps, monthly, weekly, to touch their lives as well because each of us can do so much,” Osinbajo said.

The vice president’s wife, who was the guest speaker, also said it was important to encourage people who are doing something significant to better the society.

“When you serve the poor, the needy, it’s not attractive at all, I’ll like to make an appeal that each time you see someone who is doing the right thing, you should encourage them, just as we’ve all come here to encourage the convener of this event,” she said.

Morpepe is a product developed by, Labisi Sofolahan, founder of Women Wellness Foundation to enable the foundation feed school children and children in IDP camps in three selected states in Nigeria –Lagos, Borno, and Abuja.

“The primary goal of Morpepe is to be able to feed these children. We just don’t want to be asking people for money. We don’t want to be looking for grants. So we just decided on what do to be able to sustain this feeding program that we’re doing for our children and the idea of Morpepe came in,” Sofolahan said.

She explained that for every carton of Morpepe that is being purchased the foundation will be able to feed two children. This means that when more cartons are sold, more children the foundation will be able to feed.

“The whole idea is to be able to take on more schools and to be able to send cartons of Morpepe to IDP camps. Right now, we understand that in each of the IDP, we have over 6,000, children. I am not counting the adults, so the idea is for us to be able to send as much as we can to be able to feed those children and also take more schools.

While stating her readiness to receive support from the government, she, however, encouraged the government to continue to do what they already promised to do when they were coming into office, “and if they want to support us, they are more than welcome,” she said.

Also present at the event, Folashade Adefisayo, commissioner for education, Lagos State, acknowledge that the initiative would have a huge impact across the state and the country, adding that it was in line with the state government’s intentions to roll out the Federal Government’s school feeding programme in the state as well.

“She is feeding children in some primary schools in Lagos State. When you feed children, you are feeding them at a very formative stage in their lives. So, apart from the fact that you are reducing hunger, you are going to ensure that their brains are alert and sharp and they can learn and you also make school attractive to them,” Adefisayo said.