May 26, 2021

The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale on Monday, disclosed that the various social intervention programmes initiated under the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, through the Office of Civic Engagement two years ago, has produced 17,383 beneficiaries.

Princess Adebowale spoke at the Y2021 Ministerial Press Briefing organised as part of activities marking the second anniversary of the present administration in office at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, listing the various social interventions to include ‘Sanwo-Olu Listens’, ‘Eko Cares’, ‘Mother, Infant and Child Health’ and ‘Snacks for Thought’, adding that the initiatives helped the downtrodden and vulnerable members of the society.

According to the Special Adviser, the ‘Snacks for Thought’ initiative recorded 11,896 beneficiaries, ‘Sanwo-Olu Listens’ had 150 beneficiaries, the intervention for ‘Mother, Infant and Child Health’ recorded 3,340 while the ‘Eko Cares’ initiative produced 2,000 beneficiaries.

She explained that the Mother, Infant and Child Health initiative is a bold attempt to provide women with basic food items during pregnancy in all the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas in the State, in order to ensure that both growing foetus and the poor expectant mothers have access to nutritious food needed for the healthy development of the baby’s brain and the well-being of the expectant mother.

Adebowale added that the ‘Snacks-For-Thought’ is a social intervention programme for pupils in primary four to six and crèche in Lagos State aimed at addressing key issues through a smart snacking programme.

Her words: “This initiative is proactive in nature as it provides ‘Nutritional Security’ for Lagos State children towards a safer 21st Century Lagos. It has been proven in history that no nation is greater than the quality of her children. To this end, this initiative is a social re-engineering that is strategic for nation-building. Less hungry children imply less angry youths”.

“EKO Cares formerly called Sanwo-Olu Cares, under which we have the ‘Go Forward, Grow Lagos’ initiative, addresses the question of poverty by providing funds and technical support to petty traders to help grow their businesses so that the ordinary Lagosian can boast of at least two square meals a day and by so doing, they will be able to make a positive contribution to the development of the State”, the Special Adviser stated.

On the Sanwo-Olu Listens initiative, Princess Adebowale said that the welfare programme is designed to provide financial assistance to struggling citizens in Lagos, who, for one reason or the other are not able to meet specific needs, thus requiring the aid of the government to meet their specific needs.

She averred that there are other initiatives like ‘The Girl-Boy Child’ programme that focuses on the issue of abuse of the Girl and Boy Child, adding that all issues of abuse, fall under the fundamental human rights to equality, irrespective of gender.

“It is imperative that we sensitise our students and young people in general, regarding the abuse of both genders because a child abused in his or her formative/foundational years will grow to be a traumatised adult that would be unable to properly carry out his or her civic duties and responsibilities and could directly or indirectly work against the progress and development of the State”, the Special Adviser added.

Princess Adebowale also noted that as part of efforts to enhance human capital development while also increasing security in the State, the Office of Civic Engagement introduced ‘The Ideal Child Project’, a socio-reengineering case-study project that seeks to support and impact the lives of selected children positively right from their foundational years to their formative years.

The project, according to the Special Adviser, is premised on the primary belief that every child, irrespective of their socio-economic background, is well endowed waiting to be awakened and propelled with the right support structure.

She affirmed that the administration of Governor Sanwo-Olu will not relent in its efforts to continue to bring succour to the needy and vulnerable citizenry and also maintain peaceful and harmonious working relationship with all stakeholders in the State towards achieving the Greater Lagos vision of the present administration.

“This office is committed to working hard at ensuring that it delivers on its mandate, particularly in the area of enhancing the cordial working relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms of the Government, promoting inclusive governance through engagements, encouraging participation of the people in civic activities, particularly community building and peaceful cohabitation as well as participating in democratic processes”.