LAGOS, Nigeria – Residents of Lagos Island has benefitted from the food bank initiative of a non-governmental organization, Lafiaji Development Association (LDA), a palliative measure to cushion the effect of the present economic realities.
According to the Association, the initiative would cater for vulnerable residents in the five zones of the community – Simpson; Ije; Oke Suna; Obalende and Araromi with food items such as bags of rice, garri, spaghetti, packs of tea bags, semo, salt and sugar mainly targeted towards the Old.
Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Ope George who is a member of the LDA spoke at the weekend during the handing over of the food items to beneficiaries at the Lafiaji Community center, said the initiative is to support the people and a means of giving back to the community.
The Commissioner said it was one of many to come as it was part of the many initiatives the association has embarked on.
“It is a food bank initiative. So, we’re here to support our people and give back to the community. It is one of the first. We’ll try to continue to do more as we go ahead. But this is just one of our initiatives to try and give back to the people.
“We need to ensure that we’re our neighbor’s, our brother’s keeper. So, as an association that is part of the community, we know what they need. It’s for us to try as much as possible to help our fellow brothers and sisters within our community.
The President of the Association, Mr. Adekunle Ganzalo stressed the system of the non-political association, which he said had been in existence for over 30 years, noting the various initiatives the LDA had delivered to the community.
“We are a non-political association and it has been existing for over 30 years and we have been doing a lot.
“We have given eyeglasses to people. We gave free health care to people and we have done a lot of sanitation exercises in the community once every month, even before the military started the environmental sanitation.”
While urging people to be patient with the government, he noted ‘we know that the situation of the country is not laughing at all, and we feel we should assist our people so that everybody can survive.
“We are giving out bags of rice, garri, spaghetti, packs of tea bags, semo, salt and sugar mainly to the old in a percentage of 60, while we give 40 to the youth.”
A beneficiary in the community, Elder Taiwo Affini commended the association stating that ‘it’s laudable and encouraging considering the hunger in the land.’
