By Olukayode Idowu, Maiduguri
Borno Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum gave out relief materials to 11,000 indigent residents of Maiduguri in his second tranches of palliatives for COVID-19 lockdown.
The governor had last weekend kickstarted the distribution of palliatives to residents of the state who are forced to stay indoor to combat the spread of COVID-19 with the given of variety of materials to over 4,000 households at the Custom House IDP camp.
For the second week running, the governor took palliatives for the COVID-19 to the streets of Maiduguri.
The governor on Friday and Saturday continued from where he left of as he gave out relief materials to not less than 6,000 vulnerable residents of three wards in Maiduguri, Gwange I, II, and III.
The governor gave out varieties of relief materials to 2,000 residents of Gwange III ward on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday 4,000 residents of Gwange I and II wards got similar food items.
On Sunday, 5,000 vulnerable persons, many of them widows and the aged in Bolori I and II wards, were beneficiaries of Sunday’s food palliatives.
Engr Bukar Talba, Chairman of the high powered palliative distribution committee led the exercise.
The beneficiaries at Bolori I and II on Sunday, included 1000 widows, 1000 physically challenged, 500 aged persons and 2500 vulnerable members of the two wards.
The excersice took place in two centres of Federal Low cost Primary as well as Umarari Primary Schools consecutively.
Addressing journalists at Federal Low cost Primary School, Talba said, each beneficiary received 1 bag of rice, 1 bag of Semovita, 1 bag of millet grain, 1 carton of pasta and condiments.
Engr. Talba further commended Governor Babagana Umara Zulum for the foresight to approve the support for the vulnerables in time of their needs.
The committee also visited Umarari centre to monitor the progress of the exercise.
The governor had on April 24, constituted a 17- member committee to distribute palliatives, mostly food items, to cushion the social effect of the 14-day statewide lockdown. The lockdown, imposed by the Governor on April 22, was to control the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Zulum, during the inauguration of the committee, had charged the members under the chairmanship of commissioner of agriculture, Engr Bukar Talba and chairperson of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Hajja Yabawa Kolo, as secretary, to transparently identify persons in urgent need of government intervention.
The governor has in order to enhance transparency, included representatives of intelligence and security agencies, religious affairs, women, the media in the committee.