The Jigawa state government has established over 574 centres to feed about 200,000 vulnerable people across the state, where vulnerable people will be collecting prepared food throughout the forthcoming holy month of Ramadan (the Muslim fasting period).
Governor Malam Umar Namadi disclosed this in his speech delivered during the distribution of 300,000 bags of foodstuffs to less privileged people in the state, saying, “Also, the state government would give special packages of foodstuffs to security agents and civil servants.”
The government said the establishment of the feeding centres aims at providing vulnerable people with prepared foods to eat when they break their fasting every day throughout the fasting period.
Malam Umar Namadi said the state government is aware of the economic situation in the country; therefore, it came up with different packages under Ramadan Feeding to ease the suffering of the people, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.
Governor Namadi explained that the aim of the Ramadan Feeding Programme is to help the people get what they can eat at the end of every fast in the holy month.
“It is very sympathetic and a source of concern for a man to spend the day fasting but with no meal to eat after breaking the fasting, so at the government level, we felt it was our duty to provide intervention for our people to observe one of their compulsory religious injunctions at ease.” Governor Namadi emphasises.
He noted further that “two feeding centres had been established at each of the 287 political wards in the state. We are going to establish some additional centres in the headquarters of our five emirate councils and an additional number of centres in some urban areas.”.
The governor maintained that “our plan is to feed a minimum of 300 at each centre for a period of 30 days, starting Monday if the crescent has been sighted on Sunday.”.
In his part, the Jigawa state commissioner for special duties, Hon. Auwal Dalladi Sankara, said the state government procured 150,000 25-kg bags of rice, 150,000 25-kg bags of maize, and 100,000 cartoons of spaghetti to be distributed to the people in the state, including security and civil servants in the state.
The Honourable Auwal Danladi Sankara explained that the government targeted 150,000 households to benefit from the gesture as additional governor Malam Umar Namadi’s administration sought to alleviate the present hardship as a result of the high cost of foodstuffs.
According to him, “under every household, we are expecting 5 people to benefit, which makes the total beneficiaries over 700,000 across the 27 local government areas of the state.”.
“His Excellency Governor Malam Umar Namadi has also approved for the ministry, through the Ramadan feeding programme committee, to establish feeding centres for the wide spread of distribution in order to reach the targeted people.”.
The commissioner revealed that “a special Ramada package will also be given to civil servants, security personnel, emirate councils, and other public institutions in the state as a gesture from Governor Malam Umar Namadi.”.
He assured the Jigawa state people that the state government would use all its resources to make the people of the state happy and promote social and sustainable growth and development.