ECOWAS female forum provide relief, empowerment to FCT community to mitigate COVID-19 impact

By Our reporter

Oct. 6, 2020 - As part of efforts to mitigate the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the ECOWAS Commission Women Forum (ECOCOM) has donated relief items and empowerment tools to some residents of the FCT.

The ECOWAS Female Forum donated relief items worth over 1.5 million naira to residents of the Paduma one village in Asokoro village on Tuesday.

They also provided the community with two grinding machines which would serve as income generating tool to the commuters and for community development.

Hajiya Raheemat Momodu, President of the forum said the forum is very much aware of the negative impacts and suffering the COVID-19 pandemic hence the need for the support to help ameliorate their sufferings.

She said that even though the numbers of new infections were declining, it is now the impact of the pandemic is really biting hard on people, especially as many people lost their jobs.

“You know about the impact of COVID-19. Although it appears that in Nigeria the COVID-19 is going down in terms of new infections but we know that the impact of COVID-19 is beginning to bite.

“A lot of people are losing jobs, there is no market for the women so we know that this is when assistance is really needed by the community because we know the impact of covid-19 is really biting hard.

“That is why we, the women staff of the ECOWAS Commission under our forum which we were established for purposes like this decided to contribute our little quota to this community that is very close to our headquarters in Asokoro.

“We hope this would be the beginning of such things to come and we want to tell the community that they have not been forgotten.

“Yes a lot of people rushed to give palliatives at the point of COVID which was very okay but we know they could also need assistance of this kind,” Momodu said.

Momodu said the forum would ensure the items are distributed under the supervision of law enforcement agents, the village chief and the women leaders.

Mrs Frina Joe, Women Leader of Panduma one village appreciated the ECOWAS Women Forum for their gesture which she said was coming at the right time.

Joe said they had received palliatives from organisations in the heat of the pandemic which they already exhausted and now is when they are really facing the impact of the pandemic.

She said that the grinding engines would also be a long term source of income generation to the community which they are most grateful for.

“I want to use this opportunity to thank you people for all the items.

“People have been bringing items for us but this is so much. It has not been easy, we have suffered a lot and we appreciate this,” Joe said.

The Prince of the Community, Mr Jerry Yohana who also appreciated the generous support from the ECOWAS women assured that the items would be shared equitable and the grinding machines used judiciously.

He said the items would be shared among the indigenes and non-indigenes and every household would benefit.

The items distributed include food and non-food items are: 100 bags of rice, 3 bags of onions, palm oil, vegetable oil, beans, garri, tin tomatoes, noodles, spaghetti, salt.

Other non-food items include two grinding machines, eighty pieces of wrappers for both men and women, sanitary pads among other items.