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Over 17K Residents HaveBenefitted From Sanwo-Olu’s Social Intervention Programs – LASG
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale on Monday, disclosed that the various social intervention programmes initiated under the administration of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, through the Office of Civic Engagement two years ago, has produced 17,383 beneficiaries.
Princess Adebowale spoke at the Y2021 Ministerial Press Briefing organised as part of activities marking the second anniversary of the present administration in office at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, listing the various social interventions to include ‘Sanwo-Olu Listens’, ‘Eko Cares’, ‘Mother, Infant and Child Health’ and ‘Snacks for Thought’, adding that the initiatives helped the downtrodden and vulnerable members of the society.
According to the Special Adviser, the ‘Snacks for Thought’ initiative recorded 11,896 beneficiaries, ‘Sanwo-Olu Listens’ had 150 beneficiaries, the intervention for ‘Mother, Infant and Child Health’ recorded 3,340 while the ‘Eko Cares’ initiative produced 2,000 beneficiaries.
She explained that the Mother, Infant and Child Health initiative is a bold attempt to provide women with basic food items during pregnancy in all the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas in the State, in order to ensure that both growing foetus and the poor expectant mothers have access to nutritious food needed for the healthy development of the baby’s brain and the well-being of the expectant mother.
Adebowale added that the ‘Snacks-For-Thought’ is a social intervention programme for pupils in primary four to six and crèche in Lagos State aimed at addressing key issues through a smart snacking programme.
Her words: “This initiative is proactive in nature as it provides ‘Nutritional Security’ for Lagos State children towards a safer 21st Century Lagos. It has been proven in history that no nation is greater than the quality of her children. To this end, this initiative is a social re-engineering that is strategic for nation-building. Less hungry children imply less angry youths”.
“EKO Cares formerly called Sanwo-Olu Cares, under which we have the ‘Go Forward, Grow Lagos’ initiative, addresses the question of poverty by providing funds and technical support to petty traders to help grow their businesses so that the ordinary Lagosian can boast of at least two square meals a day and by so doing, they will be able to make a positive contribution to the development of the State”, the Special Adviser stated.
On the Sanwo-Olu Listens initiative, Princess Adebowale said that the welfare programme is designed to provide financial assistance to struggling citizens in Lagos, who, for one reason or the other are not able to meet specific needs, thus requiring the aid of the government to meet their specific needs.
She averred that there are other initiatives like ‘The Girl-Boy Child’ programme that focuses on the issue of abuse of the Girl and Boy Child, adding that all issues of abuse, fall under the fundamental human rights to equality, irrespective of gender.
“It is imperative that we sensitise our students and young people in general, regarding the abuse of both genders because a child abused in his or her formative/foundational years will grow to be a traumatised adult that would be unable to properly carry out his or her civic duties and responsibilities and could directly or indirectly work against the progress and development of the State”, the Special Adviser added.
Princess Adebowale also reported that as part of efforts to enhance human capital development while also increasing security in the State, the Office of Civic Engagement introduced ‘The Ideal Child Project’, a socio-reengineering case-study project that seeks to support and impact the lives of selected children positively right from their foundational years to their formative years.
The project, according to the Special Adviser, is premised on the primary belief that every child, irrespective of their socio-economic background, is well endowed waiting to be awakened and propelled with the right support structure.
She affirmed that the administration of Governor Sanwo-Olu will not relent in its efforts to continue to bring succour to the needy and vulnerable citizenry and also maintain peaceful and harmonious working relationship with all stakeholders in the State towards achieving the Greater Lagos vision of the present administration.
“This office is committed to working hard at ensuring that it delivers on its mandate, particularly in the area of enhancing the cordial working relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms of the Government, promoting inclusive governance through engagements, encouraging participation of the people in civic activities, particularly community building and peaceful cohabitation as well as participating in democratic processes”.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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