Kunle Adelabu & Mariam Akinloye
The gesture of Sen. Tokunbo Abiru, the Senator representing the Lagos East Senator District, to support 8,500 households with food packages for the Eid – il – Kabir festival, has been lauded by youth representatives, beneficiaries and others.
The food packs, containing 10kg bags of rice; another bag containing 5kg each of beans, garri and rice and a cartoon containing semovita, wheat, butter, indomie, groundnut oil, golden mourn and others, were distributed to beneficiaries at the Senator’s constituency office in Ikorodu, on Thursday, with representatives from youth organisations, selected councilors, members of the Organisation of Party Entertainers of Nigeria (OPEN), student union bodies among others that served as volunteers, coordinating the distribution alongside staff and aides of the Senator Abiru.
Mr Enitan Olukotun, the media aide to Senator Abiru, speaking with journalists at the distribution centre, said that extending gestures and supporting the people across the Lagos East, is now a tradition to the Senator.
He said that the food gesture is the Ileya edition of the Senator Abiru food support program.
“What is happening today (Thursday) is that people of the Lagos East Senatorial District are being provided with food support, which has become a custom to the Distinguished Senator. He occasionally reaches out to his constituents, particularly the vulnerable people.
“If you would recall, barely 90 days ago when the Senator clocks 60, we gave a lot of our constituents food packs to support them, it is a similar thing that we are doing here today.
“This is the Ileya edition of the regular food pack distribution of the Distinguished Senator. This not the first time he has been doing it. It started from the COVID – 19 period when he provided palliatives for the people.
“After that particular scheme, we started a food pack program that have been largely impactful base on the feedbacks we are getting from people. So, we are hopeful that these food packs will alleviate and ameliorate the economy condition that our people are going through”, he said.
Prince Soyiga Adesina Samuel, former NAIDS President and current Deputy Speaker, Lagos State Youth Parliament, who assisted the Senator in coordinating the distribution, thanked the Senator for deeming it fit to make food items available to the people to support their familes during the festive season.
“For this that have been done, we really must commend Senator Tokubo Abriu, for putting the people into consideration and making people be at the center of governance. We all agree people are going through a lot because the economy is not friendly”, he said.
“People are really going through hard times due to the economic challenges at the moment. This (Sen. Abiru’s gesture) will go a long way for the constituents of Lagos East, especially during this festive period. There are enough rice and other food items in the package.
“This is a very good one and laudable. Thanks to Senator Tokunbo Abiru”, he added.
The President, National Association of Ikorodu Division Students (NAIDS), Comrade Ogunjimi Olamide Abdulkabir, who was also one of the volunteers that supervised the distribution, said that the gesture was timely.
“The Ileya 2024 food distribution by ‘The Doing Good Senator’, is timely and I commend the initiative, because each bag/carton contains a healthy variety of foods that puts food on the table of every recipient, especially the vulnerable families of Lagos East. So many families were blessed through the selection of students and youths as recipients of this Ileya goodies, and I want to appreciate the Doing Good Team for the inclusion”.
Comrade Idris Omotayo, Coordinator, NYCN Ikorodu branch, also commenting, also said that the gesture have hope to common people during the festive season.
“The food packs being shared is a welcome one, considering the fact that the economic situation is very difficult for the people.
“This is an opportunity for many within the community to have food items at home for the season. There are others that have been benefitting from this gesture before now. It has been serving as relief and this too will go a long way in supporting the benefitting families during the festive season.
“We are really appreciative of the Senator’s gesture”, he said.
