RESIDENTS IN AJEGUNLE DISSATISFIED ON FOOD DISTRIBUTION

This report is from The Campaigner - the subsidiary of LIFEINSLUM. 

By Davy Fidel 

The picture, captioned by LIFEINSLUM, was the  food distribution conducted 7/4/2020 at Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA. According to the eye witness, who was on ground to pick factual evidence said, "more than three thousand loaves of bread were deposited in the local government secretariat". Also, he continued "three truck of baggo bags of food items that contain in it: 4/5 cup of rice, 2/3 cups of beans, garri, a pack of semo, maggi and salt were parked in the local government secretariat."

However, in the distribution, a lot of people were dissatisfied on how the food was distributed. They felt that is not the way the food should have been shared. A woman, who managed to get three loaves of bread, with fist and tearing others in her way to get bread said, "no bi easy tin to get dis bread. Na war fo us here." She continued, "wetin dey pain me sef. Na de way dem tek dey share de food. Na dem dem dey tek de bags dey go dier house."

Another, who is a Civil Defense Officer said that the local government has not done well in the food distribution. The annoying thing is that, they, who are workers, aren't in the list of the food beneficiary. She explained (anonymous) "when there is election time, these politicians will used us to achieve their aim by winning through all means. But now that it has come to welfare, it is their party loyalists and themselves they are after." She frowned and said "this is unfair to us. Not only us but the people who are here for these food."

More than 80% of the food in the baggo bags were cart away by the politicians and their allies, leaving hundreds of residents to drink their tears and feed on their penury. Majority of the residents who are from poor homes in the Ajegunle community, that troops in their numbers for the food after hearing the information, were highly disappointed and displace at the manner, at which the whole thing went. 

Hundreds of people especially children, who heard the information, fought with all their strength to even get a loaf, all went home with the same hunger, the LOCK DOWN hasn't resolved despite people has been able to keep to the order.  

In fact, some of the residents who were there for the food distribution, were all saying the same thing that the method the government should have use to distribute this food, should have been going to house to house, to distribute it and take stock of the numbers of houses and streets that have collected, than this partisanship approach. Like man said "they will prefer to share it among themselves. This has been the politics of the APC." 

For the whole five hours, I was there as a first hand witness and reporter of 'The Campaigner', it was people fighting to survive, not sure of the next moment. Unemployed youth who were there battle to get there stomach assured for the night. They grumble and bit their words with anger over what they saw....partisanship of the highest order. That, this is not how it should be in this local government, where all the food were cart away by them alone.

The anger was insurmountable. It was in all over the faces of the people, who majority of the residents didn't get nothing. Some only one loaf, others half. This is the story of how the food distribution in Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA has been going on. The simple fact about this is that, being it will be acknowledged that the Lagos State government already has plan to distribute food to the 20 local government and 37 LCDA, which currently the AJIF local government has commence theirs. 

However, the process is faulty and call for people to challenge it. The food distribution was done base on partisanship of APC supporters and allies, who are loyalists to the ruling party leaders in the community and across the nation. Not only that, those who are doll to them in the CDA, also were listed to go home with bags of food. 

Hundreds, thousands of residents from poor homes in the slum of Ajegunle, felt the shock in their bones as it bubbles in their eyes, when they saw how government in the name of food distribution played politics.