LOCKDOWN: Lagos rolls out bold plan to feed, pay residents, check insecurity

 

BY OUR REPORTER

Lagos State Government, on Tuesday, introduced far reaching programme to cushion the economic hardship of the ongoing lockdown of the state on its residents.

The new palliatives rolled out by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, less than 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari extended the restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun states as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), include cash remittances, food kitchen, moratorium on loans and release of vehicles confiscated by the various agencies of the state.

Sanwo-Olu announced the social intervention programmes during a briefing that followed Security Council meeting held at the State House in Marina, on Tuesday.

The Governor disclosed that the State Government was moved by the need to support and ameliorate the inconvenience being experienced by vulnerable people as occasioned by the extended lockdown.

Sanwo-Olu said government would be opening food kitchens in all the local councils in the state with a target to provide one meal per day to 100,000 youths.

He also announced unconditional cash transfer of undisclosed amount to 250,000 vulnerable residents and economically challenged persons who have identification numbers with Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA).

Besides, the Governor granted three months moratorium to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and entrepreneurs that got repayable loans from Lagos State Employment Trust Funds (LSETF), deferring the payment of accruing interests by the loan beneficiaries.

He ordered immediate release of all private and commercial vehicles impounded from March 1, 2020 for minor traffic offences by the police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and Vehicle Inspection Agency to date.

The Governor said the new palliatives were carefully drawn out to bring succour to greater number of indigent people and those eking out living from daily wages.

READ: FG supports Lagos fight against Coronavirus with N10b

He said: “Before the first set of stay-at-home directives, I announced a welfare package for the indigent and vulnerable segment of the society.  Though we encountered some hitches along the way, we have since revised the process and have now seen a mark of improvement in the distribution of the relief packages that is being carried out in a dignifying manner and in full compliance with all public health directives and guidelines.

“Today, I am pleased to announce additional palliatives for our citizens to further ameliorate the inconvenience occasioned by this extended lockdown. In the next couple of days, we will commence a daily ‘Food Kitchen’ programme with the target to feed about 100,000 people daily.  This will largely target the youths.

“We are also cleaning up our data from our various social registers to get a clean list of truly vulnerable and economically challenged persons to enable us remit some cash to them.  We aim to do these cash transfers by the end of the week to a minimum of 250,000 indigent citizens.

“All the MSMEs and SMEs that took LSETF loans and got supports from other Government’s financial incentive programme will enjoy a three months moratorium. With immediate effect, I have ordered the police, LASTMA and the VIO to release all impounded vehicles arrested for minor traffic offences from the 1st of March. All these palliative measures, we believe, will further help to cushion the effect of the lack of economic activities in the state occasioned by the lockdown.”

The governor urged for calm among residents, saying the additional 14 days extension would afford the frontline health workers to ramp up contact identification, testing, isolation and admission of suspected and confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state.

He declared war on criminals taking advantage of the lockdown to engage in armed robbery and cause unrest in boundary communities, directing the security operatives not to spare anyone caught.

He said: “As an administration, we will live up to our responsibility of ensuring the security of the lives and properties of all citizens. We will not abandon this responsibility at any time. There is no room whatsoever in Lagos for criminal gangs or miscreants of any kind.

“The IG of Police has deployed a Deputy Inspector General of Police, who is a seasoned crime fighter, to Lagos as our Intervention Squad Coordinator to help devise and superintend over a superior strategy to curtail and stem the perceived and actual threat of violence.

“With this revised strategy, you will see an increase in mobile police deployment in all trouble spots in the metropolis; as well as the police intensifying their patrols around residential areas, boundary communities, and other critical areas of activities during this lockdown period. I urge all residents to obey the directive in all its entirety. Let us not be found wanting. Those who insist on flouting these directives will have no one but themselves to blame.”