By Francis Ogbuagu,Benin City
A Non Governmental Organization, Friend of the Earth, Nigeria in conjunction with Friend of the Earth,US, Thursday provided paliatves to Odiguetue and Odigie communities in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Presenting the materials on behalf of Friends of the Earth,USA, Coordinator, Forest and Biodiversity, Africa, Mrs Rita Uwaka said the Friends of the Earth, Nigeria in conjunction with Friends of the Earth,USA considered the suffering of rural communities occasioned by deforestation of farmlands and the Coronavirus pandemic. Maintaining that rural people are suffering and need relief and succor,which the Friends of the Earth is there to provide.
According to her “The Environmental Right Action/ Friends of the Earth, Nigeria in conjunction with the Friends of the Earth,USA have considered the suffering of the rural people,the fact that many of them are farmers and their farmlands destroyed by deforestation.Their problems have increased because of the Coronavirus pandemic.”
“These people need support and that is what Friends of the Earth is providing. We’re here to protect the right of Community people, we’re here because of the Coronavirus.You know many people don’t believe COVID-19 is real.We want to tell you that the virus is real and we need to be careful.We also thought it wise to support the rural people and that is why we brought these relief materials here.”
The materials presented to the Communities were: bags of rice, bags of beans,semovita, tin tomatoes, condiments, handssanitizers, buckets, liquid soaps etc.
Responding on behalf of Odiguetue community,Mr Saturday Ukponmwaa,(an elder in the community)thanked Environmental Right Action and Friends of the Earth,USA for remembering their community,he said the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic on their community is terrible, stressing that the paliatves will go a long way for them.
Also, Roseline Igharo,a member of the Community said, they are happy over what Environmental Right Action/Friends of the Earth brought to them.”We’re happy for what these people brought to us.I am happy,I thank them.”
In Odighi community,Mrs Uwaka said, the community was selected among the three communities in the first phase of the relief support from Friends of Earth, so that the community can be enlightened about the Coronavirus pandemic,she pleaded with them to be careful about the Coronavirus and presented some relief materials including: bags of rice, beans, food condiments, buckets,hand sanitizer among others.
In his response,the Secretary of Odighi community,Jim Osheghi thanked, Environmental Right Action/Friends of the Earth for it’s magnanimity, and plead that they continue the good work they are doing.
some food items provided by Friends of the Earth to Odiguetue and Odighi communities in Ovia North East LGA of Edo State, Thursday
