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By Godwin Chukwumaechi, Port Harcourt
The Covid-19 Taskforce/Victims Support Fund, VSF, on Tuesday performed the symbolic presentation of foodstuffs to 3,000 vulnerable households in Rivers State.
The event which was performed at the headquarters of the Nigerian Red Cross had Mrs Toyosi Akereke Ogunsiji, chairperson, Victim Support Fund VSF hand over the food items to representatives of the selected NGOs who would coordinate the distribution to beneficiaries.
The programme also saw the presentation of boreholes to three secondary schools, one each in the three senatorial district of Rivers State with the symbolic presentation done at the Government Secondary School, Rumuokuta.
It also marked the round up on the provision of Covid-19 palliatives across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with Rivers state being the last state to be visited by the foundation.
The palliatives comprised of food packs containing measures of rice, beans, garri, groundnut oil, salt and seasoning cubes.
Speaking to journalists at the Government Secondary School, Rumuokuta, Mrs Toyosi Akereke Ogunsiji, chairperson, Victim Support Fund VSF, underscored the importance of the programme, adding that the Corona virus pandemic caused severe economic challenges because of the consequent lockdown.
She said; “Many people lost their jobs, many businesses began to struggle, schools like these were shut down because of lack of facilities to assist them with the containment and curtailment of corona virus.
“At that time, the chairman inaugurated the Covid-19 Taskforce and we have been going around the country since that time donating food, personal protective equipment, medical materials and constructing and donating boreholes to high density population like this.
“We have done this in all the 36 states of the country and you probably know about tele-surveillance, data collection equipment of the NCDC which was donated by the VSF. In addition to that the highest quantity of Covid-19 test kits made by single individual or organisation was donated by the Covid-19 Victim Support Fund”.
She added that in addition to the above interventions the VSF had also supported several institutions and communities, while “ensuring that going forward we ensure that water-borne disease does not break out in communities.”
Also speaking about the foodstuffs and the seeming late distribution two clear years after the Covid-19 lockdown, Al-Kassim Abdulkadir, spokesperson of the VSF said the food donation was still relevant in the face of the growing food insecurity in the country.
He said; “Whether it is Covid-19 or food programme, they are still food items. At the moment there is food insecurity in the country and people will still benefit from the foodstuffs”.
He explained that at least 3,000 persons from those living below $2 a day, which he described as the most vulnerable part of the population would benefit from the foundation whose chairman and major financier is General Theophilus Danjuma retd.
He said the distribution of the food items would be coordinated by selected non-governmental organisations across the state, adding that the NGOs would identify among the stakeholders those who are qualified to partake.
