Yuletide 2024: Afinni doles out food items, cash to 250 Lagos Island elders - ITREALMS

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As part of his 2024 Yuletide season outreach the member of House of Assembly representing Lagos Island II, Hon. Olanrewaju Afinni, has doled out food items, cash to some 250 Lagos Island elders, reports ITREALMS.

The maiden edition tagged 1st Elders' Games and Palliative Programme held at Christ Cathedral Primary School, Broad Street, Lagos had over 250 beneficiaries who smiled home with food items and a N20,000 each in line with the Christmas and New Year season.

In his opening speech, Hon. Olanrewaju Afinni said that the initiative was borne out of the desire to avail the elderly, sense of belonging in the games that relates to their younger ages likewise reach out to them this yuletide season.

"We have always been engaging our youths in talent displays, in form of sports, skills etc.

We do not want the elders after they have retired to be bored at home, so we decided to engage them in the community which made us come up with what they love so much like an indoor games but more of traditional games like Ayo-olopon, Drafts, Ludo and card games.

They have been enjoying it, while today is the final to wrap it up, we decided that it is yuletide season, let's give out to the community. We are giving out food items and cash for them to enjoy the Christmas and New year celebrations," he said.

Hon. Afinni assured that more elders will be included in the subsequent programmes in the coming year, 2025 to cater for their well-being and total health.

"My plan is not to stop this initiative as not everybody has the opportunity of getting the package but at least, we have a record so that we can reach-out to them before the end of the year 2025. We just have to continue giving back to the community as many people we can reach out to."

Expressing optimism on the programme, the All Progressives Congress (APC) LGA Party Chairman, Lagos Island East, Chief Rasheed Shobaloju, described the initiative as a good one aimed to foster unity among the people thereby imbibing the peace of the season.

"The programme will foster unity because if you have followed this programme from the start, there are sections in which the retirees, the aged people are competing with themselves in various types of games Ludo, Drafts among others.

“Before then, there was football competition among the youths in Lagos Island with the final at Onikan Stadium full of funfare, carnival groups in attendance, such thing brings unity within Lagos Island generally and satisfaction especially when it is coming now during the festive period of Christmas and New year: it is a very good gestures from the honourable member," he said.

ITREALMS gathered that cash gifts of N150,000.00 were given to first winners of each games namely the Ludo, Ayo-olopon, Drafts and Cards, while cash of N100,000.00 each went to all the second winners and N50,000.00 was presented to each of the third place winners.

The 1st edition of Hon. Afinni Elders' Games and Palliative Programme had top dignitaries in attendance from the Constituency.

Gbemi Omotoso/Editor