By Hamza Suleiman
Maiduguri. A 61-year-old man, Babagana Bukar, has expressed readiness to start Ramadan fasting instantly after receiving food aid from the Borno government.
Bukar was one of the thousands of households supported by Gov. Babagana Zulum at the flag-off of palliative with food items to help them break their fast without relying on begging during Ramadan on Tuesday in Maiduguri.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s start Ramadan today. Zulum has given us everything we need to start Ramadan fasting,” he said.
A cross-section of the benefiting households also expressed their heartfelt appreciation with a shower of prayers at Ramat Square, where the palliatives were being distributed in Maiduguri.
Hajiya Falmata Abubakar, Yaa Gana Bukar, and Fatima Aliyu, among the 300,000 recipients across the state further expressed gratitude and prayed for the well-being of the state leadership, asking God for the restoration of peace in Borno and the country at large.
The recipients, who expressed their happiness with enthusiasm, said they were happy with their governor whose administration was doing a lot to ensure many families’ kitchens were stocked with food items needed during fast breaking.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the humanitarian intervention by the Zulum-led administration focuses on providing essential food such as corn, rice millet and sugar to families.
NAN reports that the government had engaged 1,600 tricycles for the transportation of the beneficiaries with the food items to their doorsteps.
Earlier, Zulum urged the distribution committee, Chaired by Sen. Kaka Shehu-Lawan to be transparent in handling the items to the vulnerable.
“To the committee in charge of this distribution, let transparency be your watchword. Let fairness be your guide. These items are not for sale. They are not for your friends or family members who do not need them.
“They are for the widow, the orphan, the internally displaced, the farmer whose fields have not fully recovered, and the daily wage earner struggling to make ends meet.
“Any officer found diverting these items will face the full wrath of the law,” the governor said.
Zulum also announced that the distribution would be extended to Christian residents who are coincidentally observing the Lent period, which overlaps with the Muslim fasting season this year.
In their remarks, Shehu-Lawan and the Secretary of the committee, Alhaji Bukar Tijani, who is also the Secretary to the State Government, lauded the efforts of the governor toward supporting the vulnerable in the state.(NAN) www.nannews.ng.com