The attention of Zamfara state Government House is drawn to
stories carried on many media platforms of the sum of of N2. 9 billion spent on
the provision of Ramadan palliatives in the state.
The information rightly emanate from the speech read by His
Excellency, Governor Bello Mohammed (Matawallen Maradun) in a statewide
broadcast to mark the end of the fasting period to wish all Muslims a stress
free Sallah celebration.
Indeed, the Governor made mention of the said figures as
palliatives cost during the period in question, but a breakdown of how that
figure was arrived at did not reflect in the speech which is drawing a lot of
criticisms from the general public.
Hence, the need for immediate clarification. The state
Government actually spent the sum of N1,100, 000, 000 in the provision of
foodstuff, purchase of cooking materials and ingredients and in the payment of
cooks for the supply of food twice daily in all the selected feeding centers
across the state throughout the one month period of the Ramadan.
The balance is not actually an amount spent but represents
the cost of foodstuff acquired for Civil Servants in the state of which the
state Government stood as guarantor. In repayment of the cost of the foodstuff
by the benefitting civil servants, the state Government will subsidise the cost
by offsetting a fraction of the cost of the items supplied.
Hence, the figure of N1,100,000,000 is the actual amount of
money spent by the state Government during the festive period to ease the
fasting of all citizens of the state, especially under the current pandemic of
covid-19.