 |
| Abdullahi Halidu Salisu, Chairman and Founder of Zakat and Waqaf Foundation |
The Zakat and Waqaf Foundation, in collaboration with the Turkish-based Suleymaniyah Humanitarian Relief Foundation, has commenced a mass Qurban meat distribution exercise targeting thousands of vulnerable households across Nigeria.
The initiative, organized for the 1447 Islamic calendar year, involves the slaughter and distribution of livestock to the poor as sadaka (charity).
According to Abdullahi Halidu Salisu, the Chairman and Founder of the Zakat and Waqaf Foundation, the immediate joint target for their operation involves the slaughter of 1,300 cows and 2,000 rams.
To manage the logistics and ensure the meat reaches the intended beneficiaries, the Zakat and Waqaf Foundation established a structured screening process for local distribution channels.
Salisu explained that the foundation received and evaluated formal requests from various mosques (masajid), Islamic schools (madrasas), and community-based Islamic organizations.
"We have screened them," Salisu said. "Those that are registered with either the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) or the Bureau of Interfaith here in Kaduna. We have done the allocation of the cows and rams to be delivered and shared among the poor and the needy."
While the current phase heavily concentrates on selected frontline states, Salisu noted that efforts are underway to expand the relief program to additional regions, including Nasarawa and Niger states, to reach more impoverished communities facing economic difficulties.
Providing a broader outlook for the nationwide campaign, Mr. Suleyman, a representative from the Suleymaniyah Humanitarian Association, stated that the overall footprint of the intervention spans multiple states, including Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Nasarawa, and Abuja.
Mr. Suleyman said. "In the whole of Nigeria, it is more than 6,000 cows and almost 3,000 rams."
He added that his organization is acting as a wakil (agent) to execute the sacrifices on behalf of donors from Turkey.