Presidential aide: Why we donated food items to FCT residents during lockdown

Some residents of the federal capital territory (FCT) got some palliatives during the 14-day lockdown ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Among those who received items were residents of Ungwan Gade in Kuje area council and Garki.

Ismaeel Ahmed, senior special assistant to the president on social investment programmes, led a delegation that donated “100 bags of 5kg rice, 100 bags of 2.5kg bags a of beans, vegetable oil” and other food items to households in the community.

Ahmed said the donations were made from personal resources of himself and other aides of the president, vice- president, senate president and speaker alongside members of the Buhari New Media Centre, the All Progressives Congress Youth Forum (APYF), and other well-meaning young people.

He said those involved felt a strong need to collaborate and pool resources together to distribute food to the communities during the lockdown.

“We understand that a lot of families would be hit hard by this lockdown, especially those who live in the outskirts of Abuja,” he said.

“A lot of non-essential and small business staff who live on the outskirts of the FCT depend on daily economic activities to survive. A lockdown for them means that there is no income, and there is no food. This is why we pooled our resources together to distribute food to these particular persons who would be affected by the lockdown.”

He added that donations from the “Food Pantry” which he had set up are targeted at artisans, the aged and elderly, physically challenged, and widows and single parents.

Abu Andrew Abu, coordinator of the project, said the team had visited Garki village in the FCT the previous day, and would be visiting other communities that are affected by the lockdown.

“Those who are severely affected by this lockdown are every day people who mostly work in the centre of town but live in the outskirts, in Suleija, Bwari, Nyanya, Mpape and Gwagwalada. We would be visiting these places and making donations to them. We also have in mind small indigent communities of masons and labourers even within the township area,” he said.

“We are aware that the government is doing its part in alleviating the sufferings of the poor. But there is so much that the government can do. We must bridge the gap, and that is what we are doing, in our own little way.”

The team also visited Haruna Jubril, gomo of Kuje, who commended them for their efforts and urged them to continue in this charitable work.