…calls on FG to take cue from Edo
Nosakhare Agbonigiarhuoyi
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has flagged off the second phase of the Christian Feeding Program.
In a ceremony which held on Saturday July 27, 2024, the Governor commended the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Edo State chapter, for its commitment towards the success of the program.
According to Obaseki, “If we do things properly in this country, what we have will go a long way. We know there are challenges, but the current leadership is not helping Nigeria. Look at how we have run this program; I hope the federal government will come and take a cue.
“What we are doing is just a drop compared to what the federal government claims they are doing. It is about transparency, honesty, and willingness to serve the public good rather than private interest. The world is currently challenged today but one solution is for the government to come out clean and transparent so that the people can trust them and work with them.”
Speaking on the objectives and intended outcome of the initiative, the Governor remarked: “This program will be in three phases. The first phase was to get people to trust us that this program is real. With this second phase, we are now correcting the challenges experienced during the first phase. The trust has now been built. This phase is to consolidate on what we have done; to make people know that this is real. It is not a one-off.
“For the third phase, while we are giving people palliatives, we will also be enrolling them for conditional cash transfer, skills programs, support in agriculture, support in trade, micro-finance and all the other incentives and support programs we have. In this way, we will be able to reach the genuinely vulnerable, and offer them real help and assistance, so that we can get out of the challenges we face.”
Commenting on the planned nationwide protest resulting from the economic hardship in the country, Obaseki said: “It is unfortunate we are where we are, and I believe we can come out of it. And I am pleading that we don’t take actions that will make our situation much worse than it is today. In the next few days, we will be going round, talking to our citizens on how to resolve this issue. Let us not do things that will dig us deeper into the mess that we face today.”
A total number of 56,250 10kg bags of rice are to be distributed across the three senatorial districts in this second phase; Edo South (21,875 bags), Edo Central (15,625) and Edo North (18,750 bags).
Recall that the first phase of the program saw a successful outcome, benefitting over 50,000 vulnerable families across the 18 local government areas of the state, covering 107 Christian denominations in 270 communities, orphanages, widows and those with special needs.
Also present at the event were: Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Edo State chapter, Apostle Irekpono Omoike; Chairperson, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Edo State chapter, Evang. (Mrs.) Margaret Agbonifo, amongst others.
