Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, revealed plans to allocate over N1 billion monthly to support vulnerable Christians in the state over the next three months.
This initiative, paralleled for the Muslim community, was disclosed during the launch of the Edo State Food Support Programe.
Governor Obaseki emphasized the non-political nature of the endeavor, opting to collaborate directly with Christian leaders to address the concerning rise in food insecurity.
“This is not politics,” he affirmed, and was further quoted as saying by The Punch, “I was worried by the rising number of people who cannot afford a square meal in a day. So, I thought to myself how do we solve this problem? This is not politics I told myself.
“I then called the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and others to a meeting and explained to them what I intended to do. So, that’s how we put our heads together to come up with this programme.
“I told them this is the amount of money I will be giving you every month is N1 billion. At least, Let us try this for the first three months and see how it goes.”
The program aims not only to provide meals but also to gather data for employment opportunities and targeted assistance.
Apostle Irekpono Omoike, Chairman of the Organisation Committee and CAN, expressed gratitude for the initiative, announcing the purchase of 60,000 bags of rice for distribution across the state’s districts.
