A popular Islamic cleric in Zamfara Malam Saidu Aliyu Maikwano has blasted Zamfara State Commissioner for Religious Affairs Malam Tukur Sani Jangebe over a comment made during one of his Tafsir sessions regarding the need for wealth to do individuals and government to strengthen welfare to the needy persons during this holy month of ramadan.
It could be recall that, during one of his Tafsir sessions, the Commissioner for Religious Affairs in Zamfara Malam Tukur Sani Jangebe said, he is aware of a wealthy individual who is distributing rice in bulk across rural areas in Zamfara as a Ramadan welfare to the needy and lesspriviledged and he doesn’t want to be named.
He also said he knew of a man who pull out money buying cows for distribution to the people noting that such was the right decision they welcomed regardless of what political party someone belongs to.
He added that, even if the Paroh (Fir’auna) in Arabic dialect shall resurface, combat to Islam and conducted welfare he would welcome it.
But Malam Saidu Aliyu Maikwano in a rejoinder via a video clip shared by one of the local TV station Standard Voice said, welfare during Ramadan is not compulsory in Islam hence what is binding often Muslims is to feed their immediate families.
He acknowledged that the holy prophet has ordained the wealthy to assist the poor ones especially during Ramadan but insisted that there is no compulsion in it.
He challenged all the Islamic scholars in Zamfara State to probe him wrong if there is anywhere in the holy Quran or prophetic traditions where Muslims were compulsorily ordained to conduct welfare during Ramadan.
Maikwano who accused the Commissioner of playing politics with the statement insisted that the commissioner who is also an Islamic scholar is tactically campaigning for someone precisely a politician best known to him.
“Let me remind Malam Tukur Jangebe, Governor Matawalle has also distributed rice silently to the needy and poor ones through Sahaba Islamic Center. I conducted the exercise my self moved from house to house in the night to share the welfare package of the Governor and many people in Gusau can testify to this statement I was making”.
‘He released money running in to millions in the account of Masjudu Sahaba last year I bought a bag of rice from Kantin Sauki at the cost of N23,000, and we shared to the poor ones and needy. I moved from Tudun Wada to Samaru and in my house and people came and collected bags of rice courtesy of Bello Bello Matawalle the Governor of Zamfara”.
“The same thing this year, he has released money running in to millions and we had been sharing rice since the beginning of the Ramadan festive period, people who benefitted from the gesture can testify to the statement I made” Maikwano added
He alleged that Malam Tukur Jangebe is tactically protesting because the Governor has decided to engage other Islamic centers to share his package as against the usual tradition where the state ministry for Religious Affairs is engaged to conduct the exercise.
He said Matawalle as a Governor has the right to deal with anybody he so wishes and can give money to anybody or association to buy anything and distribute to the people as welfare and because a Commissioner was not involved in the process it is not enough to condemn the Governor and portrayed him as someone who has not done anything.
He lauded the government for its continued support to the feeding exercise conducted by Sahaba Islamic Center saying since during the regime of Senator Ahmad Sani Yarima each Governor tried as much as possible to sustain government support for the feeding programme of the center.
