By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex A. Okoh has appealed to Nigerians to adhere strictly to the guidelines provided by the health authorities against contracting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.
Donating 300 bags of assorted food items to the less-privileged on behalf of the Bureau as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Dutse- Alhaji, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on Monday, April 6, 2020, Okoh said the responsibility to end the pandemic rests on all Nigerians and not only the government.
He urged them to imbibe the habit of social distancing, frequent washing of the hands with soap and other guidelines stipulated by the health authorities.
The Director-General said the Bureau was moved to embark on the gesture given the hardship Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable amongst them, were subjected to in the face of the lockdown occasioned by the ‘Stay-indoors’ order by the Federal Government against the spread of the pandemic.
According to him, the food items which were neatly packaged and comprised various food types would serve the beneficiaries for seven days even as he said in distributing the items, preference would be given to widows and single mothers who were targeted to get 60 percent of the items and the remaining 40 percent to the vulnerable in the area.
He noted that women were the most vulnerable in crisis situations like this, hence the preference for them.
Okoh said the Bureau has an affinity with the Dutse-Alhaji community, hence its choice for the distribution of the items; and recalled that the Bureau’s maiden CSR project was the renovation of the class room blocks in a primary school was executed in the community about 18 months ago.
Receiving the food items on behalf of his community, the Traditional Ruler, Chief James Shawo (Dakachi Dutse-Pe) commended the Bureau for the gesture and said: “BPE has etched its name in gold for identifying with the community at its time of need”.
He said a criterion had been worked out to ensure a just and even distribution of the items to the beneficiaries.
