Date: 2020-04-26

The Kwara State chapter of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has distributed relief materials to some residents of Jalala Area, Tanke Oke-Odo Area of Ilorin, the state capital in its bid to mitigate the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.

Some of the food items distributed include rice, semovita, groundnut oil and date palm.

Speaking during the distruction exercise, ANA Chairman in the state, Abdur-Rahman Adebayo Aderinoye, said the association resolved to provide succour to the less privileged and the needy in the society through food supplements so as to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown.

He noted that the governments had rolled out relief materials for people to ease the burden imposed as a result of the pandemic but called for improvement in the modality employed in selecting beneficiaries of the social safety net.

"We are all aware that the country has been on lockdown over a month now due to COVID-19 pandemic, and since the commencement of this, a lot of things had been put on hold. As writers, whom the pandemic has also forced to bring out the creative ingenuity we have been blessed with, we have been thinking of how to impact on the society, somehow.

"So, we felt that there should be a kind of succour that we can provide for the people, especially in the community. Apart from writing, of course, we also care about our neighbours. For this, we decided to give some supplements to assist the less privileged and the needy in the society as a way of our own little contribution to cushion the effects of COVID-19 lockdown.

"I think the government is trying, and that is one of the reasons why we also felt we can make this contribution on our own. As we can see even at the federal government, people giving donations to the government to cushion the effects of the pandemic. But as government, I think we can still do more. Like Oliver Twist, we always ask for more.

"In the course of our preparing for this, we did some little research and we realised that virtually the orphanages that we have in the state have been catered for. These are ways of government being responsive and responsible to their responsibilities. I think the government is trying, but then, there is always room for improvement" Aderinoye said.

Beneficiaries of the ANA palliatives, who are mostly artisans including mechanics, panel beaters, carpenters and petty traders, appreciated the association for coming to their aid at this critical time.