The Lagos State Government has said that a total of 2,000 vulnerable residents have benefited from its ”Eko Cares” initiative.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Aderemi Adebowale, disclosed this on Wednesday during the 2020 Ministerial Press Briefing in commemoration of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s first year in office.

Adebowale said that the initiative was part of the social inclusion programme of the Sanwo-Olu led administration.

She said that the office of Civic Engagement introduced and organised a financial assistance programme with business component tagged, ”Eko Cares”, with the theme – ”Go Forward, Grow Lagos”.

”The programme, aimed at empowering the vulnerable ones in the state, involves provision of financial assistance, up to N20,000 per beneficiary.

”This money is to be disbursed partly in cash and partly in the form of micro-investment.

”In the first phase of the programme, some Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies were on hand to provide instant investment in micro-distributive trade by supplying their goods to the 2,000 beneficiaries.

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”The essence of this is to have a populace that can feed themselves, contribute to the development of the state and promote a stable and secured society,” the special adviser said.

On efforts at stemming the spread of COVID-19, she said the governor had approved the production and distribution of 100 units of handwashing stations at markets, bus-stops, hospitals and other high traffic public places within the state.

Adebowale said that these handwashing stations were innovatively made by local fabricators with regular supply of dispensable soap and reticulated water supply (hand free).

According to her, the deployment of these handwashing stations is aimed at fostering the culture and practice of promoting good hygiene among the citizenry, toward curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAN