The Zamfara state government has earmarked over N1 billion for the construction of Jumu’at Mosques, Ramadan welfare package and renovation of cemeteries and other religious activities in the state for the year 2020
The state Commissioner of Religious Affairs, Sheikh Tukur Jangebe, disclosed this while defending the 2020 budget proposal of his ministry at the state House of Assembly in Gusau on Tuesday.
Jangebe noted that over N300 million from the amount would be used for Special Ramadan packages for rural dwellers in the upcoming 2020 Ramadan fast.
“You know previously in every Ramadan season, the state government establish Ramadan feeding centers across the state under this ministry.
“This time, we are going to restructure the ramadan feeding package in the state, we want to reorganize it in such a way that it will reach the target beneficiaries in the rural communities.
“We plan to provide grains, essential commodities and cash to various categories of needy instead of Ramadan feeding centers”, the commissioner said.
According to him, under the 2020 budget proposal, the ministry planned to build additional Jumu’at Mosques across the 17 emirates of the state.
“We are going to establish one Islamic education center in each of the three senatorial districts in the state.
“We noticed that most of the cemeteries in the state are dilapidated, infact in some communities there are no functional cemeteries.
“We are going to renovate cemeteries in all the 14 local government areas of the state and establishing new ones is necessary”, he said.
Jangebe added that other projects such as improvement of Salary for Imams of Jumu’at mosques and preaching were also captured in the 2020 budget proposal of the ministry.
Earlier, the Chairman House committee on Finance and Appropriations, Alhaji Muhammad Ahmad charged MDAs in the state to always operate in line with the provision of the budget. (NAN)
