The Victims Support Fund (VSF) on Wednesday in Enugu donated food items and medical supplies worth N120 million to Enugu State Government.
The Head, VSF Coronavirus (COVID-19) Taskforce, Mrs Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji disclosed this while handing over the palliative items to the state deputy governor, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo.
Akerele-Ogunsiji said that the food items which were for onward delivery to 20, 000 vulnerable households in the state were meant to cushion the effect of the lockdown arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said that each household would receive 10kg rice, 10kg beans, 10kg Garri, 2kg salt and four litres of vegetable oil.
She appealed to the state government to ensure the distribution of the reached the most vulnerable households in the state.
Akerele-Ogunsiji said that the medical supplies included 30, 000 bottles of hand sanitisers, 50, 000 pieces of facemasks, safety boots and goggles for healthcare workers as well as coveralls.
She said that the Federal Government had on June 30 inaugurated the Presidential Committee on the Victims of Terrorism Support Fund.
According to her, the initiative under the chairmanship of Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd.) was inaugurated as a national response strategy.
She said that the focus of the support fund specifically targeted victims of terrorism and insurgency in the North East region.
“But we are aware that COVID-19 is a national disaster that is happening all over the country and we cannot sit down and watch it without doing anything.
“Our chairman the March 30, 2020, set up a taskforce on COVID-19 to help to ease the effect of the pandemic by fashioning out interventions and support to the government and peoples of Nigeria,” she said.
Akerele-Ogunsiji described VSF as the first private sector led humanitarian initiative in Nigeria, adding that their intervention had been the best since the pandemic began.
Akerele-Ogunsiji said that VSF had earlier intervened in Abuja, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Ogun, Lagos and Edo.
She disclosed that Ebonyi would be the other South East state that would benefit in the current second phase of the intervention.
Responding,the Ebonyi deputy governor, Mrs Cecelia Ezeilo commended the VSF for the massive intervention.
The deputy governor also solicited the support of the fund in the education and health sectors of the state.
Source:NAN
