Seven Northern states spend N1 billion on ‘Ramadan feeding’ 
Written by Nuruddeen M. Abdallah & Haruna Ibrahim     
Sunday, 27 September 2009 05:02 
Ramadan Feeding
[b]About N1 billion was spent by some seven Northern state governments during their Ramadan feeding exercise held during the Fasting period, Sunday Trust investigation has revealed. The food items provided in the various feeding centres across the states included pap (koko), bean cake (kosai), jollof rice, dates, meat.
Kano and Sokoto States had the highest budget of N120 million each for the exercise that took place in 50 and 120 centres respectively in the two states. Apart from the state government’s approved budget, the 44 local governments in Kano State also embarked upon the feeding exercise with not less than N5 million each while the holy month lasted.[/b]Sunday Trust gathered that Nassarawa local government, where the State Governor Malam Ibrahim Shekarau comes from, spent N4.6 million during the exercise where it distributed 110 bags of rice to the public in 11 wards.

The states of Zamfara and Yobe officially spent N100 million and N70 million respectively for the feeding exercise. Bauchi state spent N50 million, Jigawa state over N60 million while Kebbi state over N150 million.   

The Ramadan feeding programme was introduced as a government policy in the Northern part of the country after the implementation of the Sharia legal system by some state governments in the region. The exercise was brought to the limelight by the Governor Ibrahim Shekarau in Kano state in 2003 as part of his human development strategy.

In Kano, the exercise was carried out by the state’s Zakkah and Hubusi Commission, the organisation that has been facilitating the feeding exercise across the state in the last six years. According to a commissioner with the Commission, Alhaji Sa’idu Muhammad Koki, no fewer than 40,000 people had enjoyed the free feeding gesture while the Ramadan fast lasted.

The Commissioner stated that the Zakkah and Hubusi Commission has created 50 designated centres for effective coverage on target audience, adding that each centre also had 50 ad-hoc  supporting staff.

Alhaji Sa’idu Muhammad Koki explained that the ad hoc staffs were made up of members of security personnel, food scientist, and civil servants employed to see to the smooth exercise, pointing out that the Commission paid them stipend in appreciation of their services.

Alhaji Sa’idu Muhammad Koki said that the Commission arranged varieties of food in a packs as take away and distributed to the needy in each of the centres, maintaining that officials were mandated to taste the varieties to ensure quality.

‘We have mandated our officials to take home the pack and taste in order to ascertain the quality of the food we are giving out to our people all in  a bid that we get value for our money”, Sa’idu Koki explained.

In Zamfara State, the state government released the sum of N100 million for this year’s Ramadan free feeding programme in 151 feeding centres across the state.  The state Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Malam Tukur Sani Jangebe explained that the gesture was part of the state government’s commitment towards ensuring the provision of free food for the people particularly during the holy month of Ramadan.

He revealed that 100 feeding centres which include all the 19 Jumu’at mosques in Gusau town were earmarked for the state capital alone, while three feeding centres were established in each of the 17 Emirate councils of the state to provide food for the people to break their Ramadan fast with ease.

Earlier, the commissioner added, the state government had directed all the local government councils of the state to distribute at least 1000 bags of grains and additional N1000 pocket money to each bag of grain to be given to the people in their respective areas as means of assisting them enjoy their Ramadan fast.

Investigations by Sunday Trust in the designated centres indicated that the programme was not as real as the government said. Several designated centres visited by our correspondent were empty as with very few people with only beans cake and pap and in some places with some dates were provided though in very small quantity. Most people who spoke to Sunday Trust expressed their disappointment over the failure of the exercise.

A resident of Gusau who gave his name as Isa, who spoke to our correspondent in one of the centres said that “it is a pity that the state government would deceive people at this holy month of Ramadan. You can see for yourself where is the food the government provided for us? This is nothing but deception. It is clear that some people had hijacked the money and channelled them into their private pockets.”

Another resident of Gusau who spoke in confidence told Sunday Trust they only heard of the feeding and grain distribution exercise on radio. “The exercise as you can see for yourself is only conducted in the media. Where is the cooked food promised by the government? Tell them that, as usual, we have not seen anything. So it is the normal political talk, nothing more,” the aggrieved resident said.

In Kebbi State, the wife of the state Governor, Hajiya Zainab Dakingari, had disbursed 3,000 bags of assorted grains to destitute and physically challenged in all the 21 local governments of the state. The first lady gave out the grains to complement the 38,000 bags of assorted grains that included rice, guinea corn, millet and maize, allocated by the state government to the general public in all the local government areas to cushion the harsh economic effect during the Ramadan fast.

Unofficial sources said that more than N150 million was spent in the exercise even though there was no official confirmation as at the time of press. There are reports that the exercise was marred by irregularities with so many people not benefitting from the exercise.

While flagging off the distribution of the grains at Birnin-Kebbi local government area, Mrs Dakingari announced that 440 bags of the assorted grains had been allocated to only Birnin-Kebbi local government area and that the remaining 20 local government areas would get 190 bags each. She advised the committee set up to ensure equitable distribution of the grains among the less privileged women throughout the state. The grains include: rice, guinea corn, millet and maize.

In Yobe State, the state Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Malam Habu Dauda Gulani stated that the state had set aside N70 million for the provision of breakfast (iftar) to thousands of less privileged Muslims who are fasting in all the 17 local government areas of the state.

This amount also covered the allowances for Islamic clerics who had been posted to various locations across the state to preach throughout the 30 days fasting period, adding that Governor Ibrahim Gaidam had approved 31 feeding centres and 81 designated preaching centres.

He said the gesture of providing food at sunset was meant to reduce hardship being faced by less privileged Muslim faithful who find it difficult to afford meal at sunset.  Gulani said jollof rice, pap, bean cake, dates and meat were served at the feeding centres, stressing that commissioners were assigned the responsibility of monitoring the distribution of the breakfast package in their various local government areas.

In Bauchi state, the exercise ended up in crisis as most of the designated centres didn’t receive their share of the N50 million approved for the exercise. Sunday Trust gathered that the Ramadan Feeding Committee Chairman and Special Adviser on Education and Social Orientation to the Governor Isa Yuguda, Dr Salisu Shehu was apparently angry with what he saw in Kafin Madaki, in Ganjuwa local government when the Chief Imam of one of the designated mosque told him that he only received N10, 000 instead of the publicised N100,000.   

The situation, according to our investigation was not any different in Ningi, Warji, Alkaleri among several others. The exercise was hijacked by politicians at all level of governance leaving the expected beneficiaries with nothing. Dr Shehu promised that the government would investigate the matter with a view of bringing the culprits to book.     

The situation was not any different in Jigawa State, as the state government reportedly spent over N60 million in Ramadan feeding both in the state government house as well as the 27 local government areas in the state. Sunday Trust gathered that 10 of the 27 local governments had spent N30,000 per day each for 28 days for the exercise. While the remaining 17 spent N20,000 per day each for 28 days also for the exercise.

The exercise, according to pundits, is a misplaced priority aimed at scoring cheap popularity “for instance, in Sokoto State the state government had procured some luxurious vehicles that included several Hillux jeeps and buses for the exercise.”  The monies spent should have been utilised in providing tangible improvement to the lives of the people, observers say just as it was viewed by many as a conduit for siphoning public funds.  




Nairalanders is this not another avenue for the Northern Gov'nors to be decieving the almajiris and at the same time looting them blind.

But why not? After all there is oil money from the captured states of the Niger Delta. Let the feeding and pamparing of the almajiris go on jari.

^^^^^ My brother, those guys are really balling over there.Damn!!

IGWE_USA:

^^^^^ My brother, those guys are really balling over there.Damn!!

The balling aint started yet. The gullible ones requested for it, so they are getting it on a platter and shouldn't complain cause they have been definitely owned right from the time they requested to be owned.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

it clear these governors are criminal

therefore should be stoned in line with shaira

My friend, most Nairalanders are only interested in selective justice. If only you could inject the name of Ibori or Alams in this story, this thread would be buzzing and then corruption will disappear, the whole country will develop, Yaradua will win a nobel peace prize  etc etc etc and we will all live happily ever after.

SapeleGuy:

My friend, most Nairalanders are only interested in selective justice. If only you could inject the name of Ibori or Alams in this story, this thread would be buzzing and then corruption will disappear, the whole country will develop, Yaradua will win a nobel peace prize etc etc etc and we will all live happily ever after.

You are definitely right. This thread won't make it past one page. Those are nigerians for you.

Damn.
Leadership in Nigeria is really a thriving robbing nd looting enterprise.
Ibillion naira 4 Ramadan for 7states.
This is ludicrous.

Sickening.
Even "holy" periods are now excuses for looting. Aren't these the same states where 80% of the population are below the poverty line?

Nigerians and complacency. The only country where nobody gives a fu,ck.

SapeleGuy:

My friend, most Nairalanders are only interested in selective justice. If only you could inject the name of Ibori or Alams in this story, this thread would be buzzing and then corruption will disappear, the whole country will develop, Yaradua will win a nobel peace prize  etc etc etc and we will all live happily ever after.

You would expect that the NLers from those states would have pounced on this thread to express their anger by now.
But the really weird thing is that only discussion of the ND, Arabic or Islam seems to get them all geared up and red eyed.

Beaf:

You would expect that the NLers from those states would have pounced on this thread to express their anger by now.
But the really weird thing is that only discussion of the ND, Arabic or Islam seems to get them all geared up and red eyed.

Not only those from those states. What about those Yorubas that use to support them and kiss their arrsss? Have you seen any one of them on this thread? You won't see those Yorubas here unless this thread is about ND, arabic and islam.

@@@@@

ikeyman speakin haa

i observer the zeal the oduduwa crew display with isusse in relation to madam nafdac

abi na only ekiti plaver

MrCrackles:

So what is the big deal in spending money on feeding during Ramadan?

No big deal. That's exactely what we are saying. After all the money is coming from their conquared people's land. So there shouldn't be any big deal about it.

let them use those money on their Education so that they will not go into killing, feed them uhs, tech them how to fish not give them fish,

That oil money is definitely being spent well up north.

Could've paid for some schools, hospitals, and infrastructure improvements.

No wonder the north is so underdeveloped.

Dickheads,money they could have spent towards setting up organize agricultural projects to engage and feed the people for good,they are wasting it on stupid religious symbolism feeding people that are going to be hungry the nest minute after they are fed.

Nigeria system is built on illusion,stupidity and dreams.

I dont blame the governors for knowing their onions. After all, the only way to garner any form of support from most northerners is to throw in a few millions into religion. As long as the governor have taken care of religion; he can convert the rest of the oil allocation for personal use.

Ranka dede your "excellencies"!

^^^^

wait oo;

i suppose u should be in nigeria as for your march- protest?? in lagos on 1st of oct??

na con

hmm one of them

Where is that dude Becomerich and his maps again, i like to take a second look!

the poster is senseless
what is a small 1 billion spent by 7 states or 1 billion spent in each state for ramadan?

people are giving out 22 billion naira loans, like water- yet you complain about this small tin

you be real ode

sjeezy8:

the poster is senseless

what is a small 1 billion spent by 7 states or 1 billion spent in each state for ramadan?

people are giving out 22 billion naira loans, like water- yet you complain about this small tin

you be real ode

Your problem is the inability to analyze, comprehend and even contruct a simple sentence. . . . Get back at me once you are done with your English as a second language tutorials.Arrow!

ikeyman00:

^^^^

wait oo;

i suppose u should be in nigeria as for your march- protest?? in lagos on 1st of oct??

na con

hmm one of them

Do you know if am already in nigeria? Ode!

Supermon. . .

IGWE_USA:

Your problem is the inability to analyze, comprehend and even contruct a simple sentence. . . . Get back at me once you are done with your English as a second language tutorials.Arrow!

i wonder why some people are too dumb too read between the lines

sjeezy8:

the poster is senseless
what is a small 1 billion spent by 7 states or 1 billion spent in each state for ramadan?

people are giving out 22 billion naira loans, like water- yet you complain about this small tin

you be real ode

between the lines

You are dumb as hell. What is 7 billion naira or 1 billion naira spent by 7 northern states? It is small money compared to the loans being given out by banks. Mind your damn business southerner

^
How much does each of those states generates a month? That should knock out your "thoughts".

im not a greedy snake like you
so i can careless how much they generate a month

the highest earning state in Nigeria is las giddi and you dont see me talkin about any 100% resource control.

^
You really talk stupidly.
How come half your "las giddi" budget comes from Federal allocations? What resources has "las giddi" got that they want to control?
Fool.

hmm^^^^
HATER- you clowns are still blowing shit up

no need to argue with you bbc cnn etc kno lasgiddi is a country on its own

you sound really bitter sorry ND govenors are spending their state funds on new cowboy hats and houses

^
Add this to your medals. Frame it for your kids.

lol funny to think you took time out, just to think about me and make this.

someones a little gay