The Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, on Monday in Enugu donated palliative items through his foundation, ‘Kwusike Foundation’, to the Muslim community in the state.
Onyeama said that the gesture was in furtherance of his assistance to the residents of the state in the face of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The minister also said that the move was to enable the Muslim faithful in the state to have an eventful Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
He said that the pandemic had imposed much difficulties on Nigerians and the rest of the world, adding that it was more difficult at a time the Muslim faithful were celebrating Sallah.
He urged the Muslim faithful to face the pandemic with prayers as well as abide by the safety protocols recommended by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Responding, the Leader of the Hausa Community in the state, Alhaji Abubakar Sambo, said that the gesture could not have come at a better time than when they were celebrating Sallah.
Sambo said that the pandemic had affected their means of livelihood and well-being and commended Onyeama for the intervention.
“We have sacrificed a lot as a result of this pandemic and I pray that God will continue to unite us and give our leaders the wisdom to lead,” he said.
Meanwhile, Onyeama said that he had taken delivery of no fewer than 10,000 bags of 10kg rice which was the third tranche of his intervention in the state.
The minister said that he discovered that a lot of vulnerable people in the rural communities were not reached during the distribution of the first and second tranches of the palliative items.
“In this third tranche, our target is to supply no fewer than 10,000 households with food items and protective equipment,” he said.
Onyeama said that the process would continue until the entire state was covered. (NAN)
