Succour came the way of 55 indigent persons in Ondo State as the Jaiz Charity and Development Foundation doled out items and cash worth N5.5 million at the first Zakat distribution ceremony in Akure, the state capital.
Beneficiaries got cash and empowerment items like grinding machines, refrigerators, sewing machines and vulcanising machine. The cash given was between N60,000 and N100,000.
The Chief Executive Officer of Jaiz Foundation, Imam Abdullahi Shuaib, explained that the foundation was set up to carry out charitable and development activities across the length and breadth of the country. He added that the foundation was poised to complement the services and products of Jaiz Bank in the state. “This is one of the reasons for our presence here,” he noted.
He explained that the project was carried out from the Zakat collected from well-meaning individuals and organisations.
“We are committed to putting smiles on the faces of some of our compatriots struggling to survive the brunt of the economic hardship which has increased the rate of poverty in the country where unemployment, income inequality, poor education system, corruption and inflation, coupled with the concomitant constant increase in the cost of food items, has worsened the standards of living of the common man and woman.
“It is evident that the payers of Zakat are not doing any favour to the beneficiaries, rather, they are paying their dues to Allah and to whom it is due. Therefore, the payment of Zakat by eligible payers is a fulfilment of their social contract to their community and religious duty to Allah.
“We urge the beneficiaries to use the Zakat funds or items judiciously with the utmost fear of Allah for their own good so they are able to attain financial independence and prosperity in the nearest future.”
Chief Imam of Akure, Sheikh AbdulHakeem Yayi Akorede, described the gesture as the beauty of Islam. He urged other organisations to follow the steps to empower the less-privileged.
One of the beneficiaries, Ibrahim Yakub, got a grinding machine and said she would not sell it.
“I will make money from it. I will be grinding things and be making money. I will not sell it,” she said.