By CHARLES IWUOHA

Tricycle (Keke) riders operating in Enugu metropolis, on Monday, received food items donated by the Enugu State Government in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Tertiary Education Trust (TET) Fund, amid excitement.

The Keke riders in Enugu metropolis also received free 1,000 face masks produced by the state government, using fabrics supplied and sewed by indigenous traders and trained tailors respectively as a means of socio-economic empowerment.

Similar palliatives were recently distributed to Keke riders at the three Senatorial Districts of Enugu State alongside the Okada Riders and National Union of Road Transport Workers, as part of the state government’s measures to cushion the effect of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) lockdown on its residents.

Receiving the items on behalf of his members, the State Chairman of the Tricycle (Keke) Riders Association, Comrade Benjamin Ikah, expressed delight at Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s benevolence and passionate interest in the welfare of the people, especially the less privileged.

Comrade Ikah who disclosed that “today is not the first day Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is remembering us,” stressed that the governor has been consistent in assisting the Keke riders to thrive in their business.

According to him, “we are always happy with this present administration in Enugu State. It seems we are always the first when it comes to what goes to the less privileged, especially those of us who are struggling to make ends meet. We cannot thank His Excellency enough for remembering us in this difficult time.”

In their separate speeches, the Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Health, Hon. Sam Ngene and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Engr. Mike Ogbuekwe, who represented the Enugu State Emergency/Palliatives Committee on COVID-19 at the event, maintained that Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration is committed to ensuring that the spread of the virus is contained in the state and the pandemic does not adversely affect the livelihood of the people, most especially the less privileged.

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