Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and an economist have criticised the earmarking of billions of naira by the Kano and Sokoto state governments for Ramadan feeding programme.
They explained that rather than spend huge amount of money on religious matters, such funds should be channeled to the education of the vulnerable children in their states.
The criticism came on the heels of the N5bn budgeted by the Kano State Government for the feeding initiative.
Earlier, the Sokoto State Government had disclosed that it set aside the sum of N6.7bn for the same purpose. The Niger State Government also earmarked N976m for Ramadan feeding.
Speaking with newsmen yesterday, the Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, stated that the act was ‘simply wasteful’.
According to him, “Their priority is usually self-interest rather than the collective interest of the citizenry. It is profligacy when one budgets that much just for Ramadan feeding.
“The priority should be infrastructural development, education of children and healthcare services. Religion should not be one of those priorities the government will even have a hand in.
“Our advocacy has been that the government should hand over religious matters. Let religious leaders handle their religious issues the way they believe God wants them to practise their religion”, he stated.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Rivers State Civil Society Organisations, Enefaa Georgewill, said it was illegal for any government in Nigeria to have done that, adding that Nigeria was a secular State.
Enefaa added, “If such a huge amount of money was for religious activities, how would the Government accommodate Christians and the traditionalists who lived in the North and how much has been budgeted for them?
“The same thing happens in the South for our religious activities. This shows the character of the leaders we have in Nigeria. They are aware of the Constitution, which states that Nigeria is a secular State. It is not a religious State.
“They know that there is a high level of economic crisis bedevilling the nation. Instead of responding to use these billions of naira to fix this crisis, they are spending the money on religious matters. I will call this frivolity. We are not saying that people do not have the right to religion. We are not against going to Jerusalem or Mecca, but they should let worshippers do it themselves”.
Speaking earlier on the preparation for the Ramadan feeding, the Kano State Commissioner for Information, Baba Halilu Dantiye, told newsmen that no fewer than 90 feeding centres had been established in the eight metropolitan local government areas.
The commissioner explained that the feeding centres were in addition to other centres established in the remaining 36 local government areas for the programme expected to last throughout the Ramadan period.
“About N5billion was earmarked for the programme and we have more than 90 feeding centres in eight metropolitan local government areas in addition to the other centres in the remaining 36 LGs of the state”, the commissioner stressed.
Recall that the Kano State Government recently inaugurated a committee to oversee the feeding of residents during the Ramadan period.
The State Deputy Governor, Aminu Gwarzo, who inaugurated the committee recently, said the free feeding programme was aimed at assisting all residents of the state, especially the poor with food during the period.
He said the committee had been mandated to ensure the effective distribution of the food across all designated feeding centres in the State.
