…To Ease Pains Of Lockdow
By Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
Members of the management team of the Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State, have given out palliatives to their junior staff to cushion the pains of lockdown over COVID-19 pandemic.
They included the Rector, Dr. Lateef Olatunji, the Deputy Rector, Administration, Dr. Larongbe Afolabi, the Deputy Rector, Academics, Dr. Augustine Adama and the Regitrar, Mr. Adetunji Oni.
Others were the Bursar, Mr. Ayodeji Azeez and the Librarian, Dr. Razaq Quadir.
The principal officers taxed themselves to buy 100 bags of rice, which were distributed to the junior staff, while they said a consignment of sanitizers and face masks was on the way for the very low cadre of the members of staff to ease life for them in the COVID-19 lockdown by government.
While speaking at the occasion, the Rector, Dr. Olatunji, said the food stuff aid gesture were distributed to 466 junior staff of the polytechnic, pleading with them to stay safe and strictly comply with all preventive measures put forward by the Federal Government and other health agencies.
Olatunji had said, “We know what you are going through at this moment and that is why we deemed it fit to make contributions out of our salaries in other to ease your pains, we know that the little we offer here today will go a long way for you at this crucial time.
“As much as the government and our health personnel are working tirelessly to curb the pandemic, let us continue to obey all rules such as washing our hands, using hand sanitizer always, maintaining social distance, avoiding crowded areas and staying indoors to prevent further spread of coronavirus.
“We appreciate you and we will continue to extend our generous gestures to you in cash and kind.”
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Muritala, said, “We thank the management for the kind gesture shown to us at the right time.
“This is a rare intervention in an institution like this, because we are salary earners too; but the management of our institution know that we are low income earners and decided to bring comfort to us out of their own pockets, while we continue to stay home. May God continue to bless them for us.
“Although this package is strictly meant for the very low staff of the Polytechnic to complement their salaries, this is not only commendable but highly remarkable. We appreciate the Principal Officers’ intervention. It happened at the right time.”
Nigerians, particularly low income earners, artisans and other vulnerable individuals had after one week of the lockdown across the country faulted an alleged oversight by government to accommodate provisions for citizens survival while staying indoors for weeks.
The call, which supposedly had caught the attention of government, is yet to physically materialize any response, which made the Offa Poly low income earners praise their bosses for their humane gesture.
