The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) yesterday flagged off its food intervention programme in Lagos State, distributing 80,000 10kg bags of rice to the state government for onward distribution to the vulnerable people in Lagos State in the spirit of the Ramadan and to cushion the effects of the current hardship and cost of living.
The distribution of the items was flagged off at the Lagos House where Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu hosted the President of the Dangote Group and Chairman of the foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and his team.
Dangote was joined by his friend and associate, Mr Femi Otedola, Chairman of First Bank Nigeria Plc; MD of the foundation, Zouera Youssoufou; Executive Director, Dangote Industries Limited, Fatima Aliko Dangote; among others.
It would be recalled that ADF flagged off the distribution of food intervention in Kano at the weekend where over 120,000 bags of the same 10kg rice were doled out.
The donation of the 80,000 bags is in addition to the 12,500 loaves of family size bread distributed daily in Lagos State.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote stated that the Dangote Group had always extended its support to the vulnerable during Ramadan for the past 30 years in line with the dictates of the holy month to reach out to the less privileged and vulnerable groups.
He disclosed that before the end of Ramadan the foundation would have reached all the 774 local governments in Nigeria, adding that it was the determination of the foundation to reach out to as many people as possible to mitigate the hardship among the vulnerable people in Nigeria.
The CEO of ADF, Zouera Youssoufou, said the foundation was partnering credible NGOs, civil societies, religious bodies, among others, to ensure the donations went to the most vulnerable in Lagos State.
Group Executive Director (Commercial Operations) at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Fatima Aliko Dangote, who noted that the flag-off in Lagos was a follow-up to the 120,000 bags distributed in Kano on Saturday, said the intervention was targeted to reach the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
Governor Sanwo-Olu hailed Dangote for choosing to be different by supporting the efforts of the state government in mitigating the hardship in the land, saying Dangote prioritised the wellbeing of Nigerians over profit.
