By Olanrewaju Adesanya
The Tabitha-Abimbola Foundation, a non-profit organisation, on Wednesday called on well-meaning Nigerians and corporate organisations to prioritise feeding of the less- privileged to mitigate hunger and hardship in the society.
The foundation, founded by a veteran and award-winning broadcast journalist, Mrs Abimbola Agbebiyi, made this remark at a charity walk to commemorate the “2024 World Food Day” in Ikeja, Lagos State.
The walk was tagged “Feed the Poor 1.0. No one should go to bed hungry”.
Agbebiyi led members of the organisation in the walk from Airport Hotel in Ikeja to the Lagos State House of Assembly, Alausa-Ikeja and then to the foundation’s office in Ogba to raise awareness on the need to feed the poor in every community.
The group distributed cooked and raw food items to the needy on the way, especially the elderly and physically challenged.
Speaking, Agbebiyi said that the foundation had a strong passion to support aged women and other less privileged people in the society, hence the commemoration of the world food day to feed the hungry.
She said: “The walk is basically to raise awareness about the foundation and the menace of hunger and malnutrition among the people living in low-cost communities.
“Some people woke up this morning without hope of when and where the next meal would come. We should try and reach out to people who do not have the wherewithal.
“We know the economic situation in the country is harsh and everybody is feeling the pinch but some feel it more than we do. They woke up this morning and do not know how and when their next meal would come.
“The message we are sending out by this walk is that while we are at our homes eating, we should always remember that some persons do not have food to eat and we must be kind and reach out to them.”
She said that the food distribution was being carried out in collaboration with Mike 12 International Food Market.
According to her, millions of people are currently facing acute food insecurity as a result of global economic hardship.
“Non-government organisations like us, public office holders and corporate organisations need to show a lot of concerns and talk about this,” the founder said.
Stressing the economic challenges, Agbebiyi lamented that only few people were sighted at the Mile 12 International Food Market when she visited on Tuesday unlike before, which she said, could be linked to the economic condition.
She emphasised the need for more participation in agriculture and home-grown farming to make food production abundant.
The journalist applauded few Nigerians who were still going to farms to feed the Nation, in spite of the risks and dangers.
Calling for more collaboration, Agbebiyi said that the foundation had enjoy some level of support from the Lagos State Government in some of its previous interventions and outreach.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Funmilola Olawuyi, who took turns to rain prayers on the NGO, said that if more privileged individuals in the society could take a cue from the gestures, tears in many faces would be wiped away.
“People will be happy if we have this kind of gesture in every small community. Hunger has triggered a lot of sicknesses and killed many,” Olawuyi said.
Another beneficiary, Mrs Elizabeth Ikechukwu, who applauded the NGO, urged the government to step up efforts to tackle hunger in the country.
The theme of World Food Day 2024 is “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future.” which emphasises the fundamental human rights to accessible nutritious, affordable and sustainable food to ensure everyone’s well-being and dignity.