Following massive reports of vandalism and extortion by jobless and hungry young people in Lagos, the Lagos State Government last Wednesday began the Food Kitchen initiative designed to feed vulnerable residents of the state during the current lockdown period.
Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu had on Tuesday announced the plan by the state to feed about 100,000 youths daily through the Food Kitchen initiative.
The governor said, “The daily Food Kitchen programme will see us aim to feed about 100,000 people daily. This will largely target the youths.
“We are identifying local food vendors who will pilot this programme and ensure that the process of cooking and serving of the meals adheres strictly to public health guidelines.”
The Commissioner for Information, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, in an interview on Wednesday, said the Food Kitchen programme started in some locations on Wednesday and would be extended to all local government areas of the state soon.
“What the state government is trying to do is to identify where these youths eat originally; we will go there; it will be a private arrangement. We will ask the food vendor how many customers they have daily; we can give the vendor raw foodstuffs to cook and also pay her or ask her how much food she sells daily then we pay her to serve the youths in that area one good meal per day.
“Some private people have been doing that, but the state government wants to be creative about it so that youths who are vulnerable will not say they can’t find something to eat,” Omotoso said.
In the last ten days, criminal activities have increased as various reports reveal that Lagos youths have been brazenly extorting money from citizens day and night under the guise of hunger emanating from the total lockdown.
