Musa Na Allah Sokoto
Sokoto state government has given out Foodstuff and textile worth 400 million Naira as Waqaf (endowment) to the needy and other vulnerable groups in the state to cushion the effect of poverty and hunger, especially in this blessed month of Ramadan.
The state Governor Barrister Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, represented by his deputy Mannir Dan Iya disclosed this at this year’s distribution exercise of the Endowment granted by the state government held at Zakkat Commission headquarters in Sokoto.
He said this year, the state government has spent over 396 million Naira on the purchase of foodstuffs and textiles materials for distribution to the needy and other vulnerable persons in the state.
The Governor however appealed to the wealthy individuals and groups to donate to the course of Allah for the purpose of earning rewards and safeguarding their wealth from unforeseen calamities.
He said the state government has in conjunction with the state Zakat and Endowment Commission (SOZECOM) commenced the distribution exercise of foodstuffs and textiles materials to Orphans, the less privileged and needy in the state.
The exercise which was flagged off at the Zakkat Commission headquarters was held under the watchful eyes of the Deputy Government, the Sultan, and some members of the state executive council. l and Islamic clerics in the state.
In his address at the occasion, the executive chairman of the Commission Muhammad Lawal Maidoki said, the commission collected over 3 billion Naira worth of Zakat in the previous years and accordingly shared among thousands of beneficiaries in the state.
Lawal Maidoki, however, commended the continued support of the Sokoto state government and the sultanate council since the establishment of the commission 7 years ago.
He said the state government has sustained the grants and distribution of foodstuffs and clothing materials to Orphans and the less privileged in society every year, especially during the blessed month of Ramadan.
Earlier in his address, the state commissioner for religious affairs Alhaji Abdullahi Mai Gwandu called on businessmen in the state to reduce the prices of commodities at their disposal.
He said the state ministry for religious affairs and the state government are very much comfortable with the leadership of the state Zakat and Endowment Commission and its mode of sharing formulas to the needy in the state.
In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar III reminded the Muslim ummah of the need to feed the poor, especially in this month of Ramadan in which Allah has ordained believers to increase their good deeds and supplications to earn more rewards and forgiveness.
He said the current level of insecurity bedeviling the security has brought untold hardship to citizens around the country, hence the need for prayers from individuals and groups seeking divine intervention.
“Every person knows what is between him and his Creator, as such we should exercise restrain from whatever God has forbidden from us, most of the bad things happening around us are the product of the consequences our bad deeds and dubious intention to accumulate worldly things at all cost” Sultan averred.
