An Ibadan Chief, Adegboyega Adegoke, has commenced the disbursement of cash palliatives to widows and the poor in six local governments in Oyo State.
The palliatives are to cushion the effects of the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state.
Adegoke who is the Ajia Balogun Olubadan of Ibadanland said the disbursement of N5,000 palliative to 120 widows was the only way to ensure that the stay-at-home measure was obeyed.
He stated that the inability of federal and state governments to provide palliatives in form of food and cash to the citizens especially the needy was why many people who are daily workers did not obey the stay-at-home order.
The local governments that will benefit from the efforts include Ibadan South West, Ibadan North West, Ibadan North, Ibadan North East, Ibadan South East and Ido.
The Ibadan chief stated that arrangement had been made to ensure social distancing in the disbursement of the palliatives.
Said he: “The only way to ensure that people stay at home is to provide palliatives for them. To ensure that this Coronavirus is not spread among our people, we have to ensure that we give them what they will use to stay at home.
“The people who are hungry cannot stay at home. That is why it is difficult to enforce the stay at home order. If government fails to give palliatives to the people, they will not stay at home. But, if they are giving what they will use to stay at home, they will comply.
“We need to stop the spread of Coronavirus, that is why it is compulsory to give palliatives to the people before we can stop them from going out.
“In order to assist the less privileged, we discovered that people are at home and doing nothing, we need to assist them, that is why I deem it fit to commence this programme. It is not ending today, it is a continuous programme.”
