A non-governmental organisation, Pious Muslim Women, has unveiled its plan to feed 2000 muslims across nine states of the federation during the month of Ramadan.
This is as the group asserted that Ramadan is one of Allah’s special favours for humanity and for which humanity can hardly express sufficient appreciation.
The group, founded by Dr Hamdalat Yusuf, unveiled the feeding plan in a congratulatory message it sent to Nigerian muslims ahead of this year’s Ramadan, the month of fasting.
In a statement issued by Yusuf, the group also enjoined muslims to adhere to “the scripturally prescribed tenets of fasting during Ramadan so we can all reap the benefits.”
Yusuf said that the feeding programme would be the sixth in the series since 2014 when the group was established.
“Every year, we organise our Ramadan Feeding Programme. It is one of our many programmes aimed at benefiting the vulnerable in the society. Our Ramadan Feeding Programme is a succour to widows, orphans and indigent Muslims in our community,” she said, adding that “We cover the major towns of nine states in Nigeria in which most of our members reside. The states are Kwara, Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna, Kano, Niger and Rivers States.”
She stated further: “Our usual practice is to give raw food stuff such as rice, beans, garri, wheat, semovita and groundnut oil, amongst others.”
The founder of the group said, however, that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year, the group decided to give the sum of N5000 to each of the beneficiaries.
The distribution, she said, is as follows:
Lagos 150=750,000
Ogun 100= 500,000
Osun 250 = 1, 250, 000
Kwara 250 = 1, 250, 000
Rivers 37 = 185, 000
Oyo 160 = 800, 000
She explained that northern states of Kaduna, Kano and Niger which will account for the balance of 850,000 will be done in due course.
Yusuf said the distribution of the Ramadan food support to indigent Muslims began on Wednesday April 22, 2020.
“This year’s feeding exercise will gulp about N10 million to feed 2000 people,” she said.
Yusuf disclosed that Pious Muslim Women generated the bulk of its funds from the contributions of members, not only in several states of Nigeria but also in countries like Canada, UK, South Africa, Ghana, Dubai among others.
She stressed that the organisation, whose activities were mostly online, was founded primarily to improve on the spiritual development of its members.
She said the group had since expanded its focus to accommodate welfare of the indigent ones especially the vulnerable in the society.
Some of its programmes include youth empowerment through free training of youths at its fashion training institute; providing support for entrepreneurial efforts of no fewer than 50 widows every year; scholarship grants to about 20 orphans at the three levels of education as well as ownership and maintenance of an orphanage where it takes full responsibility for 10 orphans from age infancy to age ten.
