No fewer than 200 households in Ikot Mbonde Itam, Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, are to benefit from food items donated by a Netherlands-based group of Nigerians.
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Presenting the items on Friday on behalf of the group, Akwa Ibom Cross River States Association, Netherlands, Mr Mfon Effiong, said the initiative was to help mitigate the effects of the lockdown on the people.
Effiong said the donation was borne out of the sincere love the members of the group have for the people during the lockdown occasioned by COVID-19.
He said beneficiaries would include those that have no source of livelihood, elderly and other vulnerable persons.
” Even those that have source of livelihood but have businesses that had been affected by the lockdown because of coronavirus will also benefit.
“The items will reach the families. Since we know the quantity, we have to randomly select people so that it will go round,” Effiong said.
The Village Head of Ikot Mbonde Itam, Eteidung Godfrey Akpan, thanked the group for its kind gesture.
He urged other Nigerians to emulate members of the group by supporting their community to alleviate the harsh economic effects of the lockdown.
” We are very grateful to Almighty God in the first place, and we thank our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora for giving us these palliatives.
” It is a relief in this trying period and we are very grateful.
“To those our brothers who have the heart to send these items to us at this time, we say may God bless them,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Miss Idongesit Sunday, said the donation came at an auspicious time, adding that many had been out of job for about one month.
“I thank God for being one of the beneficiaries. I thank those my brothers and sisters that sent these items to us. In fact for one month now, we have not gone out to do anything to earn a living.
” These gesture from our brothers and sisters in Netherlands will not be forgotten,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that items donated included rice, beans and garri( cassava flakes).