By FLORENCE ONUEGBU

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday said his administration would continue to make the lives of the citizens better, as he lent a helping hand to 50 needy residents.

Sanwo-Olu said this during the second edition of “Sanwo-Olu Listens”, a social welfare initiative designed to provide financial assistance to vulnerable citizens of Lagos State.

During the programme in Ikeja, the governor presented cheques ranging from N500,000 to N5,000,000 to 50 needy residents.

He said the responsibility of the government went beyond protection of life and property of its citizens but also to provide for the needs of vulnerable among them.

Sanwo-Olu said his administration would continue to listen to the citizens, in order to provide for their needs and protect life and property.

“When we were campaigning, we said that we are going to listen. Government’s resources cannot meet everything but the little available, we must be able to touch our people.

“As our resources improve, we will be able to do a lot more for residents and that is the whole essence of government,” he said.

In her welcome address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale, said that the initiative was a demonstration of the continuous aspiration of the Sanwo-Olu’s administration to support struggling individuals to cushion the effects of COVID-19.

Adebowale said that it was an understatement that a lot of people needed financial assistance to solve diverse challenges ranging from chronic ailments to varying degrees of disasters occasioned by unforeseen situations.

She said that people were struggling with loss of jobs and business closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the second wave being experienced across the globe deadlier than the first wave.

“It, therefore, gladdens my heart to report here that 50 indigent people of Lagos who were beneficiaries of the first phase of the programme held on Aug. 11, 2020 have done well.

“The monitoring team from the Office of Civic Engagement went round the beneficiaries to ensure that the money given to them by the governor was used for the purpose it was meant for.

“Based on the impact assessment of the financial assistance on the socio-economic life of the beneficiaries and with the testimonies that greeted the first phase of the initiative, the governor has approved the extension of the gesture to another set of 50 vulnerable beneficiaries.

“He also extended the gesture to those whose sources of livelihood have been affected by the lockdown and destructions occasioned by the EndSARS protests. Others were those with chronic health challenges but lacked the financial power to take care of themselves,” Adebowale said.

Among the beneficiaries was Mr Olalekan Lawal from Ayobo-Ipaja, who came to represent his son, Oyinlola, who underwent a heart surgery that amounted to N12 million in India.

“As a pensioner, I didn’t know where to get the money for the surgery. Later, I got the phone number of Mr Gbenga Oyerinde, S.A. C.B.D. and he directed me to the Civic Engagement office,” he said.

Mr Sulaiman Salami, a vulcaniser whose wife gave birth to triplets, also got support of the government.

Mr Tajudeen Salam, from Mushin, also benefited and thanked the governor for the support on accommodation. (NAN)

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