Nigeria government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received no fewer than 50 tonnes of dates donation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The 50 tonnes dates donation was on Friday handed over to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for onward distribution to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and victims of natural disasters across the country.
Speaking at the official presentation of the dates fruits, which is otherwise known as dabino in Hausa language, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Adamu Lamuwa, expressed confidence in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, which he believes knows better, in terms of distribution to the needies.
“As a Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, you know where it pinches more, for us as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have liaised with the Saudi Government, we received these cartoons of fifty tonnes of dates and this is a formal handing over. You see, we have delivered the message to you, and receive them with all gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Lamuwa said while presenting the item.
The Permanent Secretary added that the relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did not just start with the donation as there has been decades -long brotherly bond between the two nations.
He noted that the donation was targeted towards Ramadan due to the significance of dates fruits to fasting but it was however delayed due to logistics challenges.
“They are distributing it, country by country, perhaps in alphabetical order. Before it reached Nigeria, the month of Ramadan ended. So we are just getting them like a month or some weeks after, but ideally we should have gotten this during Ramadan.”
Receiving the humanitarian aid on behalf of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Permanent Secretary to the ministry, Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan assured the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of doing the needful to ensure it reaches the intended beneficiaries.
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“On behalf of the management and staff of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, we thank the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and the entire management and staff for this gesture, for being the link for this particular item to be delivered to the Ministry for onward distribution to the needies, in the camps and outside the camps.
“We assure you that we’ll do the needful. We’ll make sure that the distribution is properly done. And the intended beneficiaries actually have these items given to them. We will not disappoint,” Eniyan promised.
Earlier on Friday, the donation was presented by the Saudi ambassador to Nigeria, Faisal Alghamdi and was received
by the deputy director of the Middle East and Gulf Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Murtala Jimoh, on behalf of the Nigerian government.
According to Alghamdi, the Saudi government, through King Salman’s Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief), has provided necessary humanitarian assistance to Nigeria in different sectors of the economy.
The ambassador said it was part of the country’s continued commitment to alleviate the sufferings of people in distress.