Zamfara State government has represented an alternate figure of N1, 100, 000, 000 as the actual cost of the money expended for the 2020 ramadan feeding programme not N2.9 billion naira as captured earlier by the Governor during his state wide broadcast.
In a stetement signed by the Special Adviser to Zamfara State Governor on Public Enliggtenment, Media and Communication Malam Zailani Bappa reads “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”.
Mr. Bappa further said, 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”.
On the remaining of the figure mentioned by the Governor earlier during his broadcast Mr. Bappa added “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 Mr. Bappa has added.
