Ramadan: Governor Yusuf Orders Probe of Poor Quality Food for Iftar
By Abdullahi Jalalalluden
Kano state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf has ordered an investigation into poor quality of food prepared for onward distribution to residents for Iftar (breaking of fast) as part of Ramadan Feeding Programme in the state.
The governor on Friday paid an unscheduled visit to one of the 80 Ramadan meal cooking centres where he expressed sadness over the quality of the food prepared, despite allocating N1,197,700,000 for the programme.
The governor then vowed to review the programme and sanction the officials found wanting.
Speaking at a press conference at government house the Director General on Media and Publicity to the governor, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa said the governor had summoned the committee saddled with the responsibility to oversee the feeding programme with a view to reviewing the program.
Dawakin-Tofa hinted on governments plan to ensure the program is transparent and robust.
He further denied that the government earmarked the sum of N6 billion for the feeding program.
According to him, the reports were untrue and baseless, adding that the government had allocated less than N2 billion for the programme.
According to him, “the government has earmarked over N1, 197, 700b not N6 billion for the feeding program as widely speculated in some quarters.
” 80 centres has been designated for the feeding program in the 8 metropolitan Local Government areas, targeting to feed 1,000 persons per centre.
“The governor was dissatisfied with the quality of the meal, that is why he ordered for review to a more transparent, robust and accountable exercise that can guarantee efficiency and value for money as designed in the initial plan as approved by his excellency,” Dawakin-Tofa said.
The DG also stated that apart from the 120,000 bags of rice donated by Aliko Dangote Foundation, the state government had also received 199 trucks of grains from the federal government.
He said the aforementioned would be distributed to Kano residents across the 484 wards, starting from this week.
“The state government has received, from the federal government, a total of 100 trucks of 25kg bag of rice, 44 truck of sorghum, 14 trucks of millet and 41 trucks of maize.
“These food items will be distributed to Kano people at the state’s 484 political wards from this week,” he disclosed.
