The City Boy Movement, a youth-driven political support group, has distributed thousands of food palliatives to residents of Calabar, extending the gesture to both Muslim and Christian communities across the Cross River State capital.

The outreach, held in the spirit of the holy month and the Christian Lenten and Easter season, saw more than 5,000 boxes of food items handed out to households. Each box contained basic staples aimed at easing the pressure of rising living costs on vulnerable families.

State Coordinator of the City Boy Movement, Okon Eyo-Ita, said the initiative was conceived as a bridge between faiths and communities at a time of shared economic hardship. He explained that the group deliberately targeted both Eid-el-Fitr celebrations for Muslims and Easter preparations for Christians to foster unity and mutual support.

According to Eyo-Ita, the City Boy Movement views itself as more than a campaign structure. He described it as an emerging platform for youth mobilisation, civic responsibility and sustained grassroots engagement, with the goal of contributing to national development while rallying support for President Bola Tinubu’s political agenda.

He added that the Calabar exercise is intended as a starting point for a broader programme of community interventions across Cross River and beyond. The group, he said, plans to deepen its presence in local communities through welfare projects, political education and youth-focused initiatives.

Beneficiaries who spoke at the venue expressed relief and appreciation. One of them, Ekaete Bassey, said the food boxes would significantly cushion the impact of soaring prices on her household. Speaking on behalf of other recipients, she described the gesture as timely and thoughtful, noting that many families had been struggling to afford basic food items.

Community leaders present at the distribution commended the organisers for reaching out across religious lines. They urged other political and civic groups to emulate the approach by prioritising welfare and social cohesion over partisan rivalry.

For the City Boy Movement, the Calabar outreach is being framed as both a humanitarian intervention and a statement of intent: to position the group as a unifying force among young Nigerians and a catalyst for positive change at the grassroots level.