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A Non-Governmental Organisation under the auspices of the Gbenga Fawehinmi Foundation (GFF) has called on all levels of government to partner with non-governmental organisations to support vulnerable families and reduce the impact of economic hardship across the country.
The foundation said collaboration with credible grassroots groups would help government interventions reach people faster and more effectively, especially at the community level where hardship is being felt the most.
The call was made on Friday in Ondo Town, the headquarters of Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State, during the distribution of food items to hundreds of local families by the foundation.
Speaking at the event, the Director of Programmes of GFF, Mr. Joshua Aremu, decried the level of hardship faced by many Nigerians and urged governments to work closely with civil society organisations that already have strong ties with vulnerable communities.
Aremu said civil society groups have deeper connections and better understanding of the needs of people at the grassroots, making them reliable partners for targeted social interventions.
He said, “Governments should partner with civil society organisations like ours. We’ve been doing this independently for the past five years, and we’re not tired. If government partners with us, we can do much more even beyond our current capacity.
“We are a grassroots organisation. We relate directly with the people and understand their needs; if government partners with us, the society will be better for it.”
On the outreach programme, Aremu disclosed that the foundation distributed food items to 600 vulnerable families, noting that the exercise is part of its annual yuletide outreach programmes aimed at supporting the less privileged in society.
According to him, the initiative is one of the foundation’s major corporate social responsibility projects, designed to ease the economic burden on low-income households during the festive season every December.
He said, “The essence of this initiative is to give back to society. It’s one of our major corporate social responsibilities, and it’s an annual event. Every December, we try to cushion the effect of the harsh economy and relieve people during this festive season.
“This is the fourth year consecutively. We started in 2022, then 2023, 2024, and now 2025. In 2022, it was for 200 beneficiaries; in 2023, 500; in 2024, 750; and this year, 2025, for 600 beneficiaries.
“We planned for 2,000 beneficiaries this year, but education took a huge part of the budget. At a point, we even considered cancelling the event, but when people kept coming to ask for tickets, we had to agree and settle for 600 people.
“Our beneficiaries are mainly vulnerable people. Most of the people here are poor single mothers, while many of the children you see are representing their parents. No matter how little the food is, it helps the family.”
The director stressed that the foundation’s primary mission remains educational development for indigent children, stating that access to education should be treated as a fundamental right rather than a privilege.
One of the beneficiaries, Nicholas Otufulure, appreciated the foundation for its continued support and called on other NGOs to adopt similar initiatives to support vulnerable members of society.
He said, “I’ve been a beneficiary for three years. This gesture puts smiles on faces in community; others should emulate it.”
