500,000 households to receive palliatives from Lagos

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, flagged off the distribution of palliatives to over 500,000 households in Lagos, aimed at cushioning the effects of the petrol subsidy removal on people considered vulnerable.

Sanwo-Olu said his administration was aware of the challenges confronting the residents of the state as a result of the subsidy removal.

He said although the economic reforms of the government come with pain, they were, however, necessary measures that must be taken to put the economy on the path of sustainable development and prosperity for all citizens.

He noted that owing to this, the state government decided on a number of measures to ameliorate the effect of the policy on Lagosians, especially the vulnerable.

“One of the measures which we announced and being formally flagged off now is the distribution of food items for vulnerable households through the Lagos Food Bank Programme,” he said.

“The strategic goal of this programme is to reach 500,000 vulnerable households in the state with staple food items using two methodologies.

“Bulk food items (50kg rice, 50kg garri and 100kg beans) for groups, and food boxes (10kg rice, 5kg garri, and 5kg beans) for individual vulnerable households,” he added.

He noted that the distribution of food items to vulnerable households would be done through groups, institutions, non-governmental organisations, community development committees, people living with disabilities and the social protection department in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget using the social register of the vulnerable in the state.

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To ensure transparency in the implementation of the intervention programme, the governor said a monitoring committee with members drawn from religious groups, trade unions, people with disabilities, civil society/non-governmental organisations, youth groups, community development councils and representatives of the Lagos State House of Assembly will be constituted.

Sanwo-Olu added that the distribution is to be phased among the various beneficiary groups for ease of the distribution process.

“In line with this plan, each group will be duly informed of the date for collection.”

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According to him, the initiative will directly impact 500,000 benefitting households, over 2,500 MSMEs involved in bag manufacturing, food aggregation, packaging, and logistics, while over 25,000 employees of the MSMEs will be indirectly impacted.

He called for the support of well-meaning and public-spirited individuals and organisations to reach more vulnerable people in society.

“Be rest assured that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure that all items received get to the intended beneficiaries,” he said.

He appealed for the continued understanding of all Lagosians with the assurance that the government will do everything within its capacity to implement measures that will cushion the temporary pain.

The state government had earlier announced palliative measures such as a 50 percent reduction in transportation costs in government-owned buses and free health services for pregnant women in public hospitals.