No fewer than 300 widows have received food items in some rural communities of Isanlu, Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi, distributed by an NGO, Doyin and Suzan Foundation.
Speaking at the event recently in Isanlu, the Executive Director of the NGO, Chief Mrs Adedoyin Ibikunle-Eshanumi, said the initiative was prompted by the present economic hardships the people were facing due to the removal of fuel subsidy.
According to her, women, especially vulnerable widows without means of livelihood, are the most affected group of people by the subsidy removal.
“We have also empowered over 400 widows during the Easter celebration as well as other festive periods, and we will continue to do that as part of our humanitarian services.
“In addition, we have also offered scholarships to children of some of the widows and we will never relent in improving their wellbeing.
”The humanitarian gesture is part of our foundation’s vision to reach out to the indigents and the vulnerable in society so as to cushion the current hardships due to fuel subsidy removal, and alleviate their suffering,” Ibikunke-Eshanumi said.
The former APC Senatorial Aspirant, stressed that the gesture was beyond politics but was borne out of her passion to improve the wellbeing of the vulnerable in the society and better their livelihoods.
The philanthropist encouraged well-spirited individuals, NGOs and corporate organisations to emulate the gesture by reaching out to the less privileged citizens, saying that the government alone cannot do it.
She enjoined the state and federal governments to fastrack the process of providing palliatives measures to cushion the negative effects of the fuel subsidy on the masses especially the less privileged citizens.
Items distributed were: rice, spaghetti, semovita, maggi, provisions, noodles, salt, among others.
