The Association of Zamfara Indigenes resident in Kaduna State has empowered no fewer than 280 indigent members with ₦14 million.
The beneficiaries were given ₦50,000 to each of them as grants to start up their small-scale businesses.
The gesture was unveiled at the association’s Congress and Annual General Meeting on Sunday in Kaduna.
Each of the beneficiaries including youths, women and the elderly were drawn from the 14 local governments of the state.
In a message to the occasion, Gov. Uba Sani also commended the association for the invaluable gesture.
Represented by Alhaji Jalal, Special Adviser on Community Engagement, his administration was prioritising security and empowerment of a cross section of the people of the state.
The Chairman of the association, Dr Abubakar Liman-Shinkafi, said that the gesture was aimed at alleviating the suffering of the beneficiaries.
The guest speaker, a renowned Kaduna-based cleric, Dr Ahmed Gumi, commended the association for assisting the beneficiaries.
Represented by Sheikh Abdullahi Abubakar-Giro, he added that the gesture cannot come at a better time than now when most Nigerians were facing serious socio-economic challenges.
Gumi said, “Extending such support to the people in need is part of the injunctions of Islam and it helps to bolster peace, unity and prosperity.”
The cleric appealed to affluent Nigerians to strive to always extend their widow’s mite to the less-privileged citizens.
“This can also help to provide plausible solutions to the recurring security challenges in the state and other parts of Nigeria.
“It is also capable of improving the political landscape in Zamfara and other parts of Nigeria,” Gumi added.
The Chief Launcher, Rep. Abdulmalik Zubairu (APC Maru/Bungudu), represented by Alhaji Bashar Bello, underscored the importance of assisting less-privileged Nigerians especially those in dire need.
Also speaking, the Patron of the association, retired AIG Adamu Ibrahim, promised to sustain his support to the association for it to succeed in all its activities.
Similarly, a retired Regional Manager of First Bank, Alhaji Mohammed Bungudu, and a veteran politician, Gajiya A’i Maradun, expressed delight with the remarkable gesture.
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Hajiya Rabi Salisu, urged the beneficiaries to use the money judiciously so as not to defeat the aim of the gesture.
A cross section of the beneficiaries commended the association for the gesture and promised to use the funds wisely.
₦10 million out of the ₦14 million distributed at the event was donated by Zubairu.
(NAN)
