By Abdulmumin Giwa
Governor of Kano state, Abba Kabir Yusuf has denied setting aside a whooping N6 billion for the annual Ramadan feeding program in the state.
Reports have earlier shown that the governor had set aside N6 billion on a month-long feeding programme that involves distribution of iftar (breaking of fast) meals to residents of the state.
More so, this had led the major opposition party in the state, All Progressive Congress (APC) to call on the governor to tell residents how the N6bn is being spent.
Reacting to the speculations, the governor on his verified X page, (formerly Twitter) on Sunday morning, said the government had budgeted the sum of N1,197,700,000 for the programme throughout the month of Ramadan.
He said “Over the past few days, I’ve observed heightened media speculations about our government purportedly budgeting the sum of six billion naira for the Ramadan Feeding Program.
“I wish to categorically state that the actual amount for the program is the sum of one billion one hundred and ninety seven million seven hundred thousand naira, for the whole month,” he wrote.
Governor Yusuf therefore urged media to report verified information after seeking it from the government sources before going to press.
“I counsel the media to ensure that they get their figures regarding our projects from the proper sources without giving credence to speculative figures. – AKY,” he urged.
It would be recalled that the governor on Friday paid an unscheduled visit to one of the Ramadan meal cooking centres where he expressed sadness on the quality of the food prepared, despite adequate budget earmarked for the programme.
He therefore vowed to sanction the officials in charge in order to serve as deterrence to others.