Kano, panel differ on centres as controversy trails Ramadan free meals

FIVE days after the Kano State government initiated the Ramadan free feeding scheme, residents of the state have alleged that they were yet to find the designated centres in their areas.The enthusiastic residents had rushed to the centres published by the government for the programme set up to reduce the financial burden of the Ramadan on them but met empty locations.Two days before the fast started, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, stressed the importance his administration attached to the scheme and announced the opening of more centres to bring the free meals closer to the people.In a statement, Kwankwaso said more 150 centres had been provided in mosques, 120 places in markets and 130 locations in Islamiyya schools in the state.But the residents, who claimed shoddy implementation of the scheme, told The Guardian that they were yet to feel the impact of the exercise in their communities.One of the residents, who identified himself as Abubakar Hamisu, said: 'I do not think government is spending much in the exercise this year because I have not seen them in my area. I live at Sharada quarters.'To Haruna Illiyasu, 'the feeding this time is not effective. Many people do not even know the place they should go to unlike last year when many Jumat mosques were used.''I have not seen any place in my area where the distribution takes place. I stay in Fagge maybe at Fagge Central Mosque because they used it last year,' Umar Yakubu Fagge said.But the committee instituted by the state government to manage the scheme has presented figures of the centres, which are at variance from those of the government.Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Ali Baba Mohammed Fagge, said only three Islamiyya schools and 10 mosques were selected from each of the eight local councils in the metropolis and not across the 44 councils.Alibaba disclosed that N150 million was earmark for the feeding exercise contrary to speculations.'We have selected 13 centres including mosques and Islamiyya schools in the eight municipal councils. The committee decided this based on their budget and there is nothing like centres in the markets. I don't know where you obtain your information,' he told The Guardian.But the governor's media aide, Alilu Baba Dantiye, insisted that Kwankwaso's figures were in order. He said: 'The figure given by the governor is the authentic one.'When The Guardian visited the major markets in the metropolis, there was no single Ramadan centre in any of them.
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