In his passion to ensure that all the poor and needy in Kano benefit from government’s palliatives to cushion the effects of lockdown occassioned by COVID-19 pandemic, Kano state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has released N285 million to the Kano COVID-19 Fund Raising Committee to enable it complete distribution of palliatives to over 300, 000 households targeted in the state.
The chairman of the Committee, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello, who stated this during a Press Briefing to update the public on the activities of the Committee, said while the Committee has spent N100 million out the money in the first phase of distribution of the palliatives, it is expected to use N170 million to complete the second phase of distribution of the palliatives.
The erudite scholar said Ganduje decided to release the intervention fund to enable the Committee get enough resources to cover its target of 300, 000 households across the state.
Prof. Bello who is also the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano (BUK), said Ganduje has also directed the Committee to distribute 139 truckloads of grains given to Kano by the Federal Government.
He gave the names of the items contained in the Federal Government palliatives to include 6000 bags of 50kg rice, 42, 600 bags of Maize, 17, 400 bags of sorghum and 17, 400 bags of millet, including 2000 Jerry cans of 20 litre vegetable oil.
He said the Committee is targeting another 50, 000 households in the second phase of the distribution, apart from the 50,000 households in the first phase while describing the first phase as a huge success.
He also added that the Committee has been carefully monitoring distribution of the palliatives to ensure that those who benefitted in the first phase will not have the opportunity of benefitting twice.
Prof. Bello also hinted that the state Government has also given the committee the directive to supervise the distribution of Ramadan Feeding programme, while pledging to ensure transparency and equity during the exercise.
He added that apart from the 300, 000 households targeted, the Committee is also extending palliatives to Correctional facilities, remand homes and motherless babies homes.
