By Taiwo Olapade
World food day is a date set aside to celebrate food security annually on every October 16th. This year’s theme is “Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition”. In commemoration of this year’s edition, Foodclique Support Initiative ,a hunger fighting non-governmental organisation celebrated with children of Makoko community. The event witnessed a fanfair of cultural display, children’s presentation, advocate’s discussion of the event and distribution of meals to over 2000 children in the community.
During the event, co-founder and secretary of the organisation Mr Akerele Akintunde Hareef enjoins corporate organisation, individuals and government to use the coincidence of this year’s world food day with Muslim’s Eid celebration to increase the advocacy of ending hunger in the society. Through the medium, he said hunger is a problem created by social inequalities and if palliative measures are made available to bridge the social gap between the haves and haves not in the society with the former being over 75% of the population the society will be a better place.
He identify the gap bridging measures as provision of food through food bank s obtainable in advanced society. In the same vein, the Vice President of the organisation Ibrahim Onilegbale echoed is view by saying the food system in the world is sufficient enough to feed all its inhabitants, but most of the foods produced are wasted on the poor storage management. Mr Onilegbale opines that food waste should be reduced and more funds should be made available in the fight against hunger in the society.
The events witnessed huge turnout of children in the community and volunteers to grace the event with their support. Some of the beneficiaries wish everyday was World Food day. The event was also acknowledged by a member of the Nigerian parliament in the person of Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa. According to her via her official twitter handle, she tweeted thus: @abikedabiri ” I am glad to be part of @foodclique on #worldfoodday. I can testify to their passion and hard work. Together we will #endhunger. #wfd ”
FoodClique Support Initiative was celebrating her third edition of the event, with the growing level of hunger and poverty in the society the need to evolve such initiative to advocate against hunger is imperative. A society without hunger is possible only if more able people are willing to assist in the proactive fight against hunger. “I am concerned about hunger because some kids drink water to fill their stomach till the next meal comes”~ Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa
