Dangote Foundation (DF) has donated relief materials worth several millions of naira to Muslims in Ebonyi for Iftar.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items were distributed to no fewer than 500 beneficiaries in Abakaliki.
The relief items include: 250 cartons of pastas; 500 bags of 1kilogramme each of salt, 500 bags of 1kilogramme each of sugar, 500 bags of 5kilogramme each of Samolina and 250 bags of 10kilogramme each of wheat.
Mr Ndagi Ahmed, the field officer of the foundation, supervised the distribution.
He said the feeding programme was an initiative designed to help and encourage needy Muslims to take part in the Ramadan.
Ahmed said: “The gesture is in fulfillment of a part of the teachings of Islam which encourages helping the poor and the less privileged in the society by the wealthy Muslims. And in this month of fasting, we encourage the needy and the poor among us to fast and we provide them with relief materials in form of food items to break their fast.
“I am happy that the entire exercise was successful and that those who deserved to receive the materials were those that collected the materials. You can see how happy the beneficiaries are; and whosoever receives this, prays warmly for the continuous success and progress of Dangote and the foundation. They look forward to receiving more in the years to come.”
Chairman of the Da’wah and Guidance Bureau of Nigeria (DGBN) and the leader of the Muslim community in Ebonyi, Dr Haroun Aja, commended the foundation.
He said the month of Ramadan was a month of fasting where every Muslim is expected to fast.
He said that besides the ‘sadaqat’ was for the poor, the wealthy Muslims were expected in this month to consider the have-nots and the less privileged in terms of their wealth.
“It is provided in the Qu’ran that if you can feed a person that is fasting out of your own, you will have equal reward like the reward due to the person who is fasting.
“So, in this dispensation, so many Muslims get involved and we have established what we called ‘Ramadan feeding programme’.
“The materials delivered to us will be distributed among the various segments of Muslim communities in Ebonyi,” he added.