During press conference held in the Governor’s office, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State clarified that the state did not allocate n6 billion towards the Ramadan feeding program. Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, the Director-General on Media and Publicity to the governor, emphasized the necessity of providing accurate information regarding the allocation funds for the program.
“The actual amount earmarked and approved by the governor of Kano State for the 2024 Ramadan feeding is N1,190,790:00. This amount is expected to cater for 100 feeding centres across each centres expected to feed at least one thousand people daily. This programme aims to support those in need, particularly those who cannot be able to feed themselves during the holy month of Ramadan which includes ; people lliving with disabilities, almajiris, orphans, and other vulnerable groups.”
On Friday, the governor made an important visit to one of the 80 Ramadan meal cooking centres, where he voiced disappointment with the quality of the food despite allocating N1,197,700,000 for the program.
“The executive Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has undertaken an impromptu visit to one of the centres at Gidan Maza, in Kano Municipal Local Government, during which he expressed disappointment over the sub-standard quality of the food served to the beneficiaries. Based on the development, the governor instantly summoned an emergency meeting with the committee saddled with the responsibility of the Ramadan feeding to re-direct the implementation of the exercise to a more responsive, transparent, and accountable manner that can guarantee efficiency and value for money as designed in the initial proposal of the feeding program and approved by His Excellency,” he said.
The spokesperson elaborated that the governor had called upon the committee tasked with overseeing the feeding program to release its operations. Additionally, the governor initiated an inquiry into the substandard quality of food prepared for distribution to residents for Iftar as part of the Ramadan Feeding Programme in the state. The Director-General also disclosed that besides the 120,000 bags of rice contributed by Aliko Dangote Foundation, the state government had received 199 trucks of grain from the federal government. He further noted that these provisions would be distributed to Kano residents across the 484 wards, commencing this wee.
“The state government has received, from the federal government, a total of 100 truckes of 25kg bag of rice, 44 trucks of sorghum, 14 trucks of millet, and 41 trucks of maize. These food itms will be distributed to Kano people at the state’s 484 political wards from this week,” he said.