The Lebanese Community in Lagos has donated gift items worth about 67.5 million naira and an Ambulance to the Lagos State Government.
This is a bid to further help the State which is the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria fight the scourge.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, at the Lagos State Government Warehouse, 21st Century Warehouse, Ikeja, the Consul General of Lebanon, Mr Elias Nicholas said it was a gesture to pay back to the country which has been their second home.
Nicholas explained that the gesture is also a show of commitment to the well-being of Nigerians.
“I convey my thanks to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the effort so far made to contain and combat COVID-19 and all other works that is ongoing to contain the situation.
This donation is to show our full support to the well-being of Nigerian people and stand up beside them in this hard time.
We always look forward together to a brighter future after COVID-19 crisis,” he said.
Alleviating pandemic
The Lagos State Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr Gbolahan Lawal appreciated the contingent and the gift items towards alleviating and cushioning the effect of the pandemic.
He said that the State was grateful to numerous donors who have supported the course of fighting the pandemic.
He maintained the scourge has greatly impacted negatively on the global socio-economic development and a gesture from the Lebanese Community would help to further reach out to other vulnerable in the State.
According to him “Lebanese Community in Lagos has done a lot for the good people of Lagos in terms of job creation and industrialization of the State.
We are happy that you are continuing in your stride in terms of industrializing Lagos and make Lagos a commercial hub of West Africa”
“We as the government felt that with the economic lockdown the pandemic triggered, we decided to come up with food palliative because we know that over 60 percent of Lagosians are in the informal sector and these are the set of people that are economically affected by the lockdown.
Food Palliative
Lawal stated that the State in the last few weeks have captured about 440,000 households in the distribution of palliatives to the vulnerable, stressing that it would continue in that regard.
He said, “Since the 27th of March, 2020, when the Governor flagged off the scheme, we have reached 440,000 households and with what you have given us, we want to assure you that we will do the due diligence and be transparent and accountable.
We are hereby assuring residents of the State that are yet to receive their palliative that we are coming”.
Token of appreciation
The leader of the Lebanese Community in the State, Mr Fayzal El-Khalil said that “the gesture was a token of our appreciation for the country of choice, Nigeria”.
El-Khalil mentioned that over many decades, Nigeria has opened opportunities for the community to thrive thereby allowing it to contribute to the development of its economy, particularly in the hospitality businesses, real estates, trading among others.
About Forty-three different items contained in the eight fully loaded trucks were handed over to the State, with an Ambulance which according to the community was put at 15 million naira.
Source: VON
