To cushion the harsh effects of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on some vulnerable Nigerians in Abuja, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) said it presented some household items to widows and single mothers.
The spokesperson of the privatisation agency, Amina Othman, said on Friday the items targeted at about 1,200 households in the Federal Capital (FCT) were presented by the Director General of the Bureau, Alex A. Okoh.
Mrs Othman said the distributed items consisted about 300 bags of assorted foodstuff to the less-privileged in the second phase of the programme on Friday at Yimitu Village, a suburb of Apo, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
At the presentation, the BPE spokesperson said the agency was moved to embark on the gesture by the hardship some Nigerians are facing, particularly the vulnerable amongst them.
Following the decision by the government to declare a lockdown throughout the country to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, some families have been facing difficult times observing the stay-at-home order.
People who survive on menial, daily paying jobs have been facing serious challenges feeding their families during this period.
The BPE DG said the gesture to give some palliatives to the less privileged was initiated and supported solely by the management and staff of the Bureau.
He denied that the privatised enterprises in the country were behind the initiative.
In line with the criterion set for the selection of the beneficiaries, he said preference was given to widows and single mothers in the distribution of the items.
“Our target was the widows and single mothers to get at least 60 per cent of the items, while the remaining 40 per cent would go to the vulnerable people in the area,” Mr Okoh said.
One of the beneficiaries, Leonard Iheanacho, commended the Bureau for the kind gesture, describing it as timely, particularly as most families in the area had been without food since the lockdown began.
“We can’t believe what we have seen since the lockdown began. When we heard the news of the Bureau’s team coming with the food items, we took it with a pinch of salt as such promises in the past have never been fulfilled.
“But BPE has proved us wrong and we thank the organisation immensely for the gesture,” Mr Iheanacho, who is also one of the community leaders in the area, said.
On Monday, BPE began with the donation of assorted food items to the Dutse-Alhaji Community, also in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
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