In an unbridled display of the human love for his people in this trying times occasioned by the sit-at-home directives of the State Government as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the Council Chairman of Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, Hon. Prince Gerald Oforji (JP) has procured and distributed hundreds of bags of rice and beans as well as large cache of yam tubers and cartons of indomie noodles to his people and residents of the area pending the arrival of that of the state government to cushion the effects of the restriction of movement in the state.
Speaking with newsmen in Oyigbo during the distribution exercise, the council boss said he had wished he had much money to do more than what he has done to ameliorate the effect of the current situation on his people.
He explained that the entire ten(10) Wards of the council area have benefitted from the gesture, adding that from Ward one to Ward six which is in the rural areas received their own commodities through a committee made up of the community and religious leaders including their chiefs and elders with a charge for them to ensure that the relief materials go round everybody both indigenes and non-indigenes alike.
Hon Oforji further explained that for that of Wards seven to ten which is in the Oyigbo urban area, he personally led the team that distributed the materials to the beneficiaries on the street considering the less privileged and the vulnerable whom they physically met, without discrimination of party linage.
The council boss said he was satisfied and derived joy from the exercise especially watching the beneficiaries dancing and singing his praises.
He also used the opportunity to thank the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike for all his proactive measures put in place to save the people’s lives, urging him to remain focus and ignore the criticism of those he described as ‘permanent critics’ despite his good intentions.
Hon. Oforji also disclosed that his monitoring team went round the churches in the council area to ensure that their earlier information for them to adhere to the governor’s reversal announcement on the need to observe the social distancing policy was fully carried out.
“Some of the churches we visited already got the reversal order and obeyed but some others which feigned ignorance were forced to obey the order in their own interest”.
He observed that most of the members for the sake of reaching out to their God in prayer congregationally, urged their religious leaders to conduct two, three or more services with the approved number of worshippers to accommodate everybody.
Hon Oforji used the opportunity to urge his people to persevere in the hardship that comes with the sit-at-home directives, adding that it will not be forever. He also advised them to continue observing all the sanitary precautionary measures in their own interest.
