The My People First Foundation, a Kogi-based non-governmental organisation, has extended its humanitarian intervention to Makoko, a riverine community in Lagos State, distributing hundreds of mosquito nets and raincoats to residents to improve their welfare and ease the challenges of their daily activities.
The intervention, according to a statement made available to journalists by the foundation’s programme office, followed an assessment of the living conditions of residents, particularly their exposure to mosquitoes and the difficulties associated with movement and economic activities during the rainy season.
Makoko is a riverine settlement where many residents depend on fishing, trading and water transportation for their livelihoods.
Beneficiaries of the intervention included members of the Egun community, citizens of the Republic of Benin and other residents of the area.
Presenting the items, the founder of the foundation, Hajiya Aishat Oyiza Omade, said the gesture was aimed at providing practical support to residents whose daily lives and livelihoods were closely connected to the waterways.
Omade, who is also the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Kogi State Social Investment Programme Agency, commended the residents for their resilience, hard work and entrepreneurial spirit, noting their determination to sustain their businesses and families despite the difficult living conditions.
She assured the community that the foundation would return to Makoko to identify other areas of need and provide additional assistance, reaffirming its commitment to reaching underserved and hard-to-reach communities across the country with interventions that directly improve lives.
“We will return here for more interventions. We have carried similar intervention in Kogi state and I believed that we can touch more lives through this medium. She said
Receiving the items on behalf of the community, the Baale of Makoko, Baba Jeje, expressed appreciation to the foundation for bringing humanitarian assistance directly to the riverine settlement.
He noted that few organisations ventured across the waterways into the heart of Makoko to identify and address the challenges confronting