The Cross River State Food Bank has been mandated to commence distribution of items to core poor residents, to cushion the effect of the lockdown.
The State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade gave the order to the Director-General of the food bank, Dr. Mercy Akpama, who is also a member of state COVID-19 Response Taskforce, in Calabar, the Cross River capital, south-south Nigeria.
Governor Ayade, who acknowledged the hardship occasioned by the lockdown of state and international borders said, “we are sensitive to the challenges of locking down a state where people have barely earned their last salary. The social sensitivity of our lockdown must reflect in the subsequent actions we take”.
According to him, the state government would ensure residents avoid social vices by providing “citizens with access to food, access to livelihood because after the Coronavirus comes humanity. So, we must be careful not to create social vices or increased in criminality due to lack of food.
“That is why the Food Bank Director-General must recognize that food supplies to the various local governments are essential,” he emphasized.
The governor further mandated all his 39 commissioners to ensure that people in their local government area, especially indigent families, were given adequate food supplies through the food bank.
“I use this opportunity to announce that all commissioners are the Food Coordinating officers, supplies coordinating officers for their various local government areas,” he stated.
Further Restrictions
The governor also hinted that from next week Monday, April 6, 2020, there would be further restrictions on movements along the streets of Calabar metropolis without a mask.
Ayade said that an absolute shutdown of Cross River at this time may not be necessary and charged the COVID-19 Response Taskforce headed by Dr. Betta Edu to ensure compliance.
He, however, stated that “nobody will be allowed to walk on the streets of Cross River from next week without face and nose masks”.
He reminded the people that workers at the garment factory were mass-producing the masks, which would be distributed to the people.
The governor used the opportunity to appeal to the Nigerian Government to give special treatment to Cross River due to its strategic border location.
“Cross River is an international border state and with the incident in the Republic of Cameroon, I call on the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Health to treat Cross River in a very peculiar way. We need the obvious and express attention of the Nigerian Government,” Governor Ayade added.
Source: VON
