Maroc - MOCKINBIRD.COM.NG - A La Une - 25/Mar 20:37

Dangote Feeds Thousands In Katsina, Donates 35,000 Bags of Rice

 The Aliko Dangote Foundation has donated 35,000 bags of rice to the poor and vulnerable people of Katsina State. This is coming two weeks after it commenced the distribution of one million bags of rice worth N16billion across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.   Representative of the Foundation, Mustapha Umar, disclosed this during the Katsina flag off on Tuesday at  the Muhammad Dikko Stadium. Umar explained that the beneficiaries were selected across the 361 wards of the 34 Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state. He said that the Foundation provided the support to the beneficiaries as part of its humanitarian gesture to cushion the economic hardship being faced by vulnerable persons. According to him, the gesture in Ramadan is intended to complement governemnt efforts to improve the wellbeing of the people. Umar noted that: “This year's gesture is targeting over one million vulnerable Nigerians, aimed at reducing their hardship due to the economic situation in the country. “The Foundation was in various parts of the country to offer similar support  to assist people, especially Muslims to observe the Ramadan fasting with relative ease.He said 94 persons will benefit from the gesture from each of the political ward in the state. Speaking on behalf of the state government, the Hisbah Board Commander, Dr Aminu Usman, said the support will go a long way in reducing the challenges of the poor. He Commended the Aliko Dangote Foundation for the initiative, saying that such will complement the effort made by the state government through providing free Ramadan feeding among other things. He called on other wealthy individuals to imbibe the culture of assisting the less privileged, especially in the holy month of Ramadan. Some of the beneficiaries, including physically challenged people, thanked the ADF for the food support, and other humanitarian assistance. During the distribution of the 10kg bags of rice, some of the beneficiaries had to be wheeled to the venue to collect their share. The exercise was supervised by officials of the Katsina government, which included member of the Hisba Board, State Community Development Programme and other stakeholders.