The Bayelsa State Government has expressed its readiness to partner the Aliko Dangote Foundation on quality healthcare delivery services and other critical sectors to improve the overall wellbeing of the people of the state.
The State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, made this known on Wednesday while flagging off the National Food Intervention Programme being organised by the Aliko Dangote Foundation in Yenagoa, the state capital.
Represented by his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the Governor commended the Foundation for donating 10,000 bags of 10kg rice for distribution in the state to alleviate the economic hardship among Bayelsans, especially the less privileged.
While acknowledging the group’s effort in funding critical healthcare projects in the country, he said his administration was desirous of establishing and sustaining effective partnership with the Dangote Foundation.
The Bayelsa Chief Executive disclosed that the State Government had already secured about 21 thousand bags of rice and other grains which would soon be distributed to Bayelsans as food palliatives to cushion the impact of the current harsh economic realities.
According to him, his administration had been supporting 420 persons with N200,000 each every month to enable them create sustainable livelihoods and promote self reliance through business activities across the eight Local Government Areas of the state.
“On behalf of a grateful state, I want to welcome you and thank the Aliko Dangote Foundation for this very noble humanitarian initiative.
“It is quite encouraging that someone had to do this on his own volition, not being nudged or compelled. It is the milk of human kindness in Alhaji Aliko Dangote that is actually manifesting.
“We convey the appreciation of the people of Bayelsa to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation and the Dangote Group for this gesture.
“We also believe that this gesture should not end in food alone. The Bayelsa State Government is open and ready to embrace the Aliko Dangote Foundation in the area of healthcare delivery.
“I say so because I am aware that you also have something in the area of healthcare delivery. We are looking forward to having an effective partnership with your Foundation in health and other sectors because you have been supporting the national health scheme”, the Governor said.
In his welcome remarks, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prof. Beke Toboukiye Sese, said the State Government was delighted at the philanthropic gesture from the Aliko Dangote Foundation.
Prof. Sese assured the Foundation that the 7,000 bags of rice received so far would be judiciously distributed to the beneficiaries, especially the needy in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the Foundation, the Head of Operations, Mr. Ejiro Victor Edero, said the purpose of the gesture from the Chairman of the Foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, was to alleviate hardship being faced by families across the state.
Ejiro said the Foundation’s food intervention programme was a nationwide project, with over one million bags of rice being distributed across the 36 states in the country.
He expressed confidence in the integrity of the distribution team to diligently distribute the 7,000 bags of rice already supplied, assuring that the balance of 3,000 bags, making a total of 10,000 would be delivered to the state by the weekend.
Also, speaking on behalf of the focal persons in charge of the distribution team, Mr. Newton Toitoi, described the intervention by the Aliko Dangote Foundation as timely and promised that the team would ensure a fair and effective distribution of the food to the most vulnerable in the state.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa