By Aminat Babatunde
The Executive Director, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF), Prince
Sulyman Olagunju has said no fewer than 50 Kwarans have been
empowered with N2.2 million as zakat and alleviation of poverty in the
society.
At the ceremony held last Thursday in Ilorin, the state capital, the
Executive Director underscored the need for the beneficiaries to use
the equipment and funds given to them in order to improve their
economic status and ensure their financial freedom.
Olagunju advised eligible Muslims to be alive to the duty of regularly
paying zakat, a pillar of Islam, in order to assist underprivileged
Muslims and earn the pleasure of Allah as reward.
He hinted that the foundation had commenced a social security scheme
designed to take care of vulnerable senior citizens.
According to Olagunju, the idea of the scheme tagged “Senior Citizens
Support Programme” is borne out of the need to ameliorate the
sufferings o the aged especially pensioners.
“At Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation, we knew something must be done for
the senior citizens who are not pensioners. We have decided to start
with a stipend of N5,000 per month for 100 people – that is N500,000.
Of the available Zakat and Sadaqat funds, we decided to allocate this
amount to 100 elders in our society every month.
“This monthly stipend would go a long way to alleviate their
suffering,” he said.
In his remarks, the Kwara State Coordinator of the foundation,
Muhammed Mukthar Muhammed Thanni said, “We will increase the number of
beneficiaries as we get more funds. One of the criteria in the
selection process is that the beneficiary must be someone with nobody
to support him or her and has no means of supporting himself or
herself. The beneficiaries are people who cannot work and do not have
people to take care of the needy.”
