Tajudeen Adebanjo
Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) on Sunday said it has empowered over 2,647 in 21 states.
ZSF Executive Director Prince Sulayman Olagunju said this at the grand finale of Zakat distribution in Lagos.
According to him, over N220 million were disbursed to over 2,647 beneficiaries.
This year’s distribution, he said, started in June.
Prince Olagunju said 1,664 Lagos beneficiaries went home with N167,374,712.
He said with the support of Zakat payers and other well-spirited individuals, the foundation were able to increase the number of states where Zakat was distributed from 17 in 2018 to 21 this year.
According to him, in 2019, the four new states where the foundation distributed Zakat funds in 2019 were Kogi, Nazarawa, Niger and Zamfara.
“It is noteworthy that despite the economic situation of the country, we were able to move up Zakat collection from N318,152,130 at the end of October 2018 to N325,346,697 as of September 2019.
“The amount of Zakat disbursed so far this year, including the one being distributed today across the 21 states, stands at N220,348,391 to 2647 beneficiaries.
“This shows a slight increase of about N16 million above last year’s disbursement.”
Chief Imam of Lagos State Sheikh Sulaimon Abou-Nolla hailed the foundation for reducing poverty in the state.
Represented by a group of Ulamau led by Sheikh AbdulBaari Saba, Sheikh Abou-Nolla advised the beneficiaries to make good use of the items and cash received.
ZSF Board of Trustees’ Chairman Dr Tajudeen Yusuf, said the collection and distribution of Zakat “is an obligation that all Muslims owe to Allah.”
Yusuf, an Associate Professor at the University of Lagos said the beneficiaries must see the gesture as an opportunity to improve their circumstance from being needy to being on the path of prosperity.
The activities of the foundation, he said, were geared towards contributing to the nation-building.
“Just like being experienced in the conventional tax collection, there is a need to widen the Zakat payers’ bracket. There are still many able Muslims, who may not know that a foundation like ours exists who collect and distribute Zakat.
“It is, therefore, the duty of our current payers to introduce us to these categories of Muslims,” he said.
Miss Aisha Ayedun, a 200 level student of Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos, who receiving a motorised wheelchair thanked the foundation.
Miss Ayedun said the motorised wheelchair would ease her movement to and fro the campus.
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