By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja The Lebanese community in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, on Thursday, donated food items worth millions of Naira to the FCT COVID-19 Task Force to ameliorate the sufferings of vulnerable residents as a result of the lockdown and stay-at-home orders in the fight against the rampaging virus.
The donation was made in collaboration with the Embassy of Lebanon under an initiative called a Voluntary Fund, which the Ambassador of Lebanon to Nigeria, HE Mr. Houssam Diab, and a group of representatives of the Lebanese community in the FCT handed over the items to the Minister of FCT, Mallam Muhammed Musa Bello. The items include 6, 000 5kg bags of Rice, 600 50kg bags of Flour, 500 cartons of Spaghetti, 800 cartons of Tomato Paste, 3, 000 pieces/250 cartons of Soya Oil, 1, 875 pieces/150 cartons of Palm Oil, 3900 cartons of Indomie, 455 cartons of Soap, and 2, 000 cartons of Water.
According to the Lebanese delegation, the initiative by the Lebanese community was meant for their fellow Nigerian sisters and brothers residing in the FCT, in order to alleviate the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on their livelihood, especially the most vulnerable in Nigeria’s capital, and to further consolidate on palliative measures already taken by the FCT Minister and his task force in this respect. The delegation also disclosed that the gesture complements similar donation initiatives that have been taken by the Lebanese community in Nigeria at large including Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt in particular, which is a token of loyalty and appreciation from the Lebanese community to their second country, Nigeria and to the great people of Nigeria who have embraced them as their own. Meanwhile, the Lebanese envoy with the Lebanese community used the opportunity to commend President Muhammadu Buhari and the FCT Minister for their efforts to confront and combat the COVID-19 pandemic in order to keep the FCT and Nigeria safe.