The Chairman of Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), David Olusegun Odunmbaku, has distributed food palliatives to 700 vulnerable households as part of efforts to cushion the impact of rising food prices and economic hardship on residents.

Odunmbaku said the intervention was targeted at less privileged members of the community, particularly elderly people and women with large families and households struggling to meet their basic needs.

Speaking at the distribution exercise, the Council Chairman said the initiative reflected his administration’s commitment to improving the welfare of residents, especially those most affected by the prevailing economic challenges.

He described the distribution as a deliberate intervention to ease the financial burden on households, noting that governance should go beyond road construction, infrastructure development and other physical projects to include programmes that directly improve people’s living conditions.

According to him, the initiative aligns with the council’s eight-point agenda, particularly its focus on health, education, youth and women empowerment, social infrastructure and grassroots development.

Odunmbaku said the distribution was part of a broader social welfare programme pursued by his administration since its inception, adding that the council had introduced several initiatives to support vulnerable groups and improve access to essential food items.

He recalled that the administration introduced food bank subsidy programmes and targeted food distributions in 2023 for persons with disabilities and security and public service agencies, including the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Parking Authority, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Lagos Public Works Corporation and the police.

He added that the council had expanded its food intervention programmes in 2026, reaching 2,500 beneficiaries through its subsidised food sales initiative.

Similarly, he said the Food Bank Zero Hunger Initiative had reached 5,500 beneficiaries across the six wards of the LCDA, providing residents with essential food commodities at subsidised rates.

The chairman said the programmes demonstrated his administration’s determination to combat hunger, promote food security and ensure that the benefits of democracy translated into tangible improvements in the lives of residents.

He urged community leaders, corporate organisations, philanthropists and well-meaning Nigerians to complement government efforts by extending support to vulnerable members of society.

Odunmbaku also assured residents that his administration would sustain interventions aimed at promoting social inclusion, supporting women and improving the welfare of disadvantaged households.

Some beneficiaries expressed appreciation for the initiative, describing it as timely relief amid the rising cost of living.

One of them, Eunice Ogunleye, said the food items would help reduce the financial pressure on beneficiary households, adding that such interventions made a meaningful difference to families struggling to provide for their needs.

Another beneficiary, Valentina Adewale, thanked the council chairman, saying the gesture would go a long way in supporting residents who could no longer afford essential food items because of prevailing economic conditions.

Similarly, Yemisi Ogwade said the palliatives would provide significant support for her family, particularly at a time when many households were finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the country’s economic situation.

She commended Odunmbaku and the council for the intervention, expressing gratitude to those who made the distribution possible.