From Yahaya Audu, Bauchi
Bauchi State Commissioner for Religious Affairs and Community Relations Honorable Baba Madugu has disclosed that Bauchi State Government spent seventy one million eight hundred thousand naira (N71,800,000) on Ramadan feeding from 2015 to date.
Baba Madugu made the disclosure yesterday while briefing newsmen on the activities of his office.
He said that in 2015 twenty three thousand was approved for Ramadan feeding and more than two hundred mosques benefited from it, while two hundred and fifty five mosques benefited from the gesture with twenty three million eight hundred thousand in 2016 and spent twenty five million in 2017 and two hundred and fifty mosques also benefited.
He said over thirty million also spent on Ramadan Tafsir in government and privates electronic media houses.
Baba Madugu said in 2015 during easter celebration foodstuff, clothing materials were distributed to the needy and less privileged Christians worth one million five hundred thousand naira.
“The Ministry has received request from various communities and organisations soliciting for government assistance for the construction, renovation and completion of places of worship, religious oriented schools and publication. The ministry had inspected the places and recommended for appropriately to his excellency of his approval”.
He said his ministry intends to embark on registration of worship places and taxing beneficiaries organisation who benefited from the services of the government in order to boost the State revenue base.
He said his ministry would also undertake survey of all places of worship mosques and churches through the State including their addresses and contact numbers for security and political reasons.
He further said that the ministry would also centralised all religious activities so as to achieve maximum service delivery.