Mr Alex Okoh, Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), on Monday, donated 300 bags of assorted food items to the less-privileged in Dutse-Alhaji in Bwari Area Council of Abuja.
In a statement issued in Abuja by Mrs Amina Othman, Head, Public Communications, BPE, Okoh said that the gesture was part of the bureau’s corporate social responsibility.
He said that the bureau was moved into embarking on the exercise to mitigate the hardship that Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable, were experiencing due to the stay-at-home directive of the Federal Government.
The BPE boss said that the Federal Government’s directive was to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“These food items will serve the beneficiaries for seven days. Sixty per cent of the items will be given to widows and single mothers, while 40 per cent will be shared to the vulnerable in the area.
“Women are usually the most vulnerable in crisis situations like this, hence the preference for them.
“The bureau has an affinity with the Dutse-Alhaji community, hence our choosing it for the distribution of these items,’’ Okoh said.
The BPE director-general appealed to Nigerians to adhere strictly to the guidelines provided by health authorities against contracting the Coronavirus pandemic.
He said that the responsibility to end the pandemic rested on all Nigerians, and not only government.
Okoh advised the public to imbibe the habit of social distancing, frequent washing of hands with soap and other guidelines stipulated by the health authorities.
Receiving the food items, the traditional ruler of the community, Chief James Shawo, commended the bureau for the gesture.
Shawo said that with the gesture, BPE had etched its name in gold for identifying with the community in its time of need.
He said criteria had been worked out to ensure a just and even distribution of the items to the beneficiaries.
