The Zamfara Government says it spent the sum of N2.9 billion on the purchase of essential commodities for distribution to various categories of people as Ramadan welfare.
This was disclosed by the state Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Dosara, in a statement he issued in Gusau on Sunday.
He said the Chairman of the main committee for distribution of this year’s Ramadan welfare package, who is also the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alhaji Nasiru Magarya, has assured that the gesture would reach all beneficiaries in the state.
He said, already, the speaker had set up various committees to ease the distribution.
Dosara further revealed that the 450 truckloads of the welfare packages contained rice, millet, maize, beans, sugar and milk were being distributed to the vulnerable, less privileged, internally displaced persons, civil servants and other categories of members of the public.
“The aim is to help in reducing the hardships being faced by people and to enable them conduct the Ramadan fast with relative ease and happiness.
“In order to ensure equity, fairness and justice in the distribution exercise, the governor has ordered for the formation and or constitution of committees at both state, local government, ward and polling unit levels with members drawn from the political class, labour, traditional and religious leaders,” he explained.
He noted that while members of the various committees had been directed to immediately swing to action, they were also cautioned against any form of malpractice that could deny any beneficiary.
This is in addition to the welfare packages to other categories of people including orphans, people with special needs, internally displaced persons, imams, civil servants, Qur’anic schools and other relevant organisations.
The main committee gave the folliwing contact numbers: 08089036555, 08037754225, 08067234742 and 08062703232 for complaints regarding the distribution exercise.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the welfare grains include 60,000 bags of rice, 50,000 bags of millet, 50,000 bags of maize, 30,000 bags of beans, 10,000 bags of sugar and cartons of milk.
This is aside the consignment allocated for workers, orphans, people with special needs, internally displaced persons, imams, Qur’anic schools and other relevant organisations.