Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has kickstarted a Ramadan iftar food feeding program aimed at supporting 46,000 less privileged Muslim individuals daily, organized by the state’s Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The launch event, held at the Musa Usman Secretariat in Maiduguri on Friday, saw Honorable Babagana Malarima, the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, representing the governor in inaugurating the initiative.
He highlighted Governor Zulum’s commitment to assisting the vulnerable, especially during challenging times, which led to the reinstatement of the food distribution program.
To facilitate the program, the ministry enlisted 230 cooks selected through local leaders (Bulamas) and community support groups. Each location designated for distribution will have two cooks—one for preparing porridge and the other for frying bean cake (Kosai).
The cooks will be supplied with ingredients to cater to 200 individuals daily. For porridge, they will receive 50kg of rice, 50kg of sugar, 50kg of flour, and tamarind to sustain the program for five days. Bean cake cooks will be provided with 100kg of beans, cooking oil, Maggi cubes, spices, and other necessary items.
The distribution sites encompass 15 wards in the Maiduguri metropolitan council, 6 wards in Jere local government, and Kaleri ward in Mafa, a part of the state capital.
Previously halted for several years, the distribution exercise will now be overseen by the ministry in collaboration with village heads (Bulamas) and local support groups to ensure equitable distribution and efficient service by the appointed cooks.
Various community organizations such as Jamma’atul Nasirul Islam (JNI), Fityanul Islam, Jibwis, Borno’s Hisba, and others are actively participating in the aid efforts.
Symbolically, 45 cooks received cooking utensils and supplies during the launch, with the remaining cooks scheduled to receive their materials subsequently.
The ceremony was attended by key officials including the ministry’s acting Permanent Secretary Hassan Abdullahi Haasan, Director of Finance Ali Umar (Arrow), and other dignitaries.
