Kunle Adelabu
Leaders and residents of one of the major communities in Ikorodu, Lasunwon – Lambo, have cried out to the government, groups and individuals to extend the distribution of relief materials to the community.
Some of the Leaders and residents that spoke with THE IMPACT on Saturday (yesterday) said that they have not received or benefitted from the government or private body/individual driven relief materials that have been distributed across Ikorodu division
The community lack any key social amenities such as road, potable water, Primary Health Centre (PHC) and others in the community.
Residents of the community (which is the host community to the Lagos State Polytechnic permanent site) said that they have only received the relief packages sponsored by the Managing Director of the Polaris Bank, Mr Adetokunbo Abiru and wife while they also commended the donors for their large heartedness.
A total number of 114 residents of Lambo-Lasunwon community benefitted from the cartoons of food items provided by the Abirus on Saturday, April 18, 2020.
Speaking with THE IMPACT, Olootu Matthew Adebayo Sodipo, Olootu (Head) of Lambo-Lasunwon royal family, called on government to ensure that its relief packages get to Lambo – Lasunwon community while adding that residents have been abiding by the government’s stay-at-home order.
“We are asking the local, state and the federal governments to remember us in the distribution of the relief materials. We have only got the relief packages from an individual till today”, Olootu Sodipo appealed.
“This is my message to the government because you can not say people should stay at home during lockdown without food and water.They will be forced to go out to fend for himself and families if provision is not made for them and this will defeat the purpose of the lockdown”, he stated.
Chief Shodipo also enjoined government at local, state and federal levels to copy the effective arrangement by which relief materials were brought directly to people in the community.
“My message to the government is to copy the system adopted by the team that distributed the relief materials sponsored by Mr and Mrs Abiru, which involved taking the food items to the residents ‘door steps and handing them over to them”, he stated.
“It will go smoothly in this manner, because once you get to their houses and call names, it will not create a rowdy situation being witnessed in other places where many gathered at a point to get the relief materials and in the process, breached the directive on social distancing”.
While commending Mr Adetokunbo Abiru and wife for relief packages, the community head stated that the gesture extended to his community by the Abirus was the first of its kind by any individual or government.
“We have started praying for Mr and Mrs Tokunbo Abiru for this kind gesture because we have not seen anybody extending such to us since this COVID -19 lockdown started”, he revealed.
“We thank them sincerely and pray that God will continue to enrich them.
“We also thank those that brought these materials for handing them over to beneficiaries in transparent and orderly manners”.
Mr Sunday Olusanya, Chairman of the Joint Community Development Associations (CDAs) in Lambo –Lasunwon Community, described the gesture by the Abirus as well organized and novel in their community and also appreciated the couple for the kind act.
“The total packages brought to our community were actually 114 based on my counting. We really appreciate the kind gesture because we have not seen any individual extending such gesture to us in this community in this lockdown period.
“The gesture was meant to encourage people to stay indoor and not to come out as directed by the government. We really appreciate the gesture of Mr and Mrs Tokunbo Abiru.
“On behalf of all the residents of Lambo – Lasunwon, we say a big thank you to Mr & Mrs Abiru”.
Many of the residents that also spoke with our reporter also appealed to the government and other individuals to extend their hands of fellowship to the community.
