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COVID 19: Step up your game, NGO tells government

Some members of Beulah World Initiative, a nongovernmental and faith based organisation, have advised the federal government to up its game in the fight against the Corona Virus pandemic which has claimed millions of lives across the globe.

Speaking at the sensitisation programme/food distribution to the less privileged in the Arobieye community in Otta, Ogun State by Beulah World Initiative, the team members gave this advice.

 

According to Barr. (Mrs.) Odaro-Osayande, one of the Welfare Officers of the NGO, it is a privilege to see a platform that reaches out to souls especially the needy at this period.

 

“It’s a good initiative to minister to the needs of the people, my advice to people is to live healthy by practising hygiene especially during this pandemic, government should see this period as a time to put structures in place to meet the needs of the masses.”

“Government doesn’t have to wait until such a pandemic breaks out before knowing what to do, they need to step up their game in meeting the needs of the people,” she said.

Osayande said from what she has seen so far, government has not done up to expectation, adding that they should up their game because so many people have not been reached.

Another team member, Dr. Angela Eni, a Biotechnology Researcher with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who is also an Associate Professor in Covenant University, said the lockdown has not been easy for anyone especially those who have been moving up and down their daily businesses to just sit down at home.

 

“The lockdown has affected a lot of people’s means of livelihood therefore people are struggling, so, to reach out to a community in terms of support by creating awareness and telling people the right thing to do is a very good gesture towards containing the spread of the Virus”

 

Eni said unfortunately things are going to be tough on the government as well, adding that Nigerians should pray God gives the leaders wisdom to know the right thing to do.

“Nigeria has peculiar issues, we can only pray that God helps our leaders, I hope this experience will make our leaders do the needful by putting the right structures in place,” she said.

 

The Chief Executive Officer of Beulah World Initiative, Ms Chichi Ononiwu, said the initiative focuses on the emancipation of the underprivileged in the society.

 

She said the gesture is a stepped up effort on the highly dreaded Covid-19 pandemic.

 

She said her organisation noticed something very strange about Arobieye community as 90 percent of the residents were hypertensive.

 

“We discovered this the last time we went to the community for medical outreach, both old & young were having high blood pressure, we have visited about 45 communities so far but Arobieye’s case is peculiar, in that regard, they also lack basic amenities and we felt this could have exacerbated this condition of high blood pressure,” she said.

 

Ononiwu expressed concern that the land is not fertile and a bit arid but added that there’s a way government can assist them with fertilizer.

 

“One of the easiest ways to contract any disease is to have low immunity caused by lack of essential food to boost the immune system, the people in the community are not eating well. We need to start from the basics by making government policies workable at the grassroots level,” she said
Ononiwu explained further that feeding classroom pupils cannot solve Nigerians’ problems, worse still, when the grassroots people are not being reached as these are the people that need the help.

 

Government needs to do more in terms of the implementation of its projects, there should be periodic inspection and follow up to ensure the project implementation gets to the right people.

 

“Even the items being donated how are they being disbursed? Is the government sure the items are getting to the targets?

 

These are the things government should be concerned about and focus more on,” she said.

 

The enlightenment programme with the theme ‘Surviving the Covid-19 Pandemic’ drew participants from many households in the community, who were educated on the genesis of coronavirus, how people could contract Covid-19, ways to prevent being infected and how to feed well to maintain high immunity levels to ensure adequate protection against the virus.

 

One of the participants, Mr. Tolu Matthew said he sees the gesture as a blessing from God, most especially at this delicate time.

 

He said there are so many people in the area who do not believe that Corona Virus exists but the sensitisation programme has opened their eyes to the dangers of COVID-19, how it can be contacted and prevented.

 

“I want to appreciate the God of Winners Chapel who used one of the members, to bring Beulah World Initiative to reach out to this community. The lecture really taught us how to live healthy during this pandemic and the team still distributed foodstuffs to us, I really appreciate them.”

 

 

Another participant, Mr Alfred, said he was very impressed because if such lectures can go round the communities it will be a very great achievement because many Nigerians out there are just living carelessly, many have developed the ‘I don’t care’ attitude and going about their normal business as usual because they don’t go out or listen to news only hearsay, but with this kind of lecture we have received from Beulah World Initiative, we are more careful with our lives now. At least many will not fall victim of the virus.

 

 

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