A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo state and the Chairman/Chief Executive of Oyo-Si-Maa-Dun Foundation, Mr Abisoye Fagade, has appealed to political leaders, wealthy individuals and other privileged members of the society to prioritize rescuing the down-trodden and vulnerable people from the pangs of hunger and deprivation occasioned by the current global economic realities.
Fagade said in a special Christmas message which was contained in a statement issued today and made available to pressmen by his media aide, Kehinde Idowu, that the Yuletide provide an opportunity for every member of the society to be happy and feel loved by others “if the essence of the celebration of the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ would be made to materialize by the Christian faith adherents.
“Our Lord Jesus was a symbol of love, humility and sacrifice as he came to the world to practicalize what was taught in the scriptures. He was always there for the poor, sick, afflicted and all categories of vulnerable people. Therefore, it will not be out of place for the privileged ones in the society to come down from the high horse and identify with the poor especially in this hard time when the economy is bad for individuals and families.
“As a matter of fact, heads of government need to do more for the masses as the effect of economic instability is biting harder on the citizenry. For instance in Oyo state, the daily announcement of multi-billion naira contract awards by Gov. Makinde that have no impact on the quality of life of its citizens when most residents go to bed hungry is totally wrong and we are using this medium to challenge the PDP administration to come up with programmes that can have a direct impact on the lives of the masses instead of wasting scarce resources.
“We are in a society where the majority is in dire need of assistance to enable them to eat good food, clothe themselves and also attend to some medical challenges not because they are lazy or indolent but they are at the mercy of the privileged ones due to the failure of our leadership system. Therefore, it is highly necessary for political leaders, successful entrepreneurs, rich individuals and corporate organisations to live up to expectations and use the auspicious occasion of Yuletide and New Year festivities to reach out to the poor.
“On our part, handlers of Oyo-Si-Maa-Dun Foundation have been encouraged to increase the volume of food items, cash empowerment and free health care services we have been giving out over the years. Our core objectives revolve around banishing hunger, ill-health and poverty away from the society and we will always do our best to realize this dream even as we appeal to others in the society to toe this path in the interest of humanity.” Fagade stated.
