THE Nasrul-lahi-li Fathi Society of Nigeria (NASFAT) Agency for Zakat and Sadaqah (NAZAS), on Sunday, held its 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) where it gave account of its finances in the last Islamic calendar year (Hijrah 1443AH/2021).
The event, held in Lagos, also featured the disbursement of N23 million zakat funds to about 126 beneficiaries.
The chairman of NAZAS, Alhaji Hafiz Bakare, congratulated the directors of the agency, leaders of NASFAT, board members, management team as well as leadership of the zonal advisory councils on the milestone achieved during the period under review.
Bakare said: “For the first time in the history of the agency, we crossed the N100 million mark in annual zakat and sadaqat collections.”
The general manager of NAZAS, Alhaji Muftau Adelotan, said: “Today, we are disbursing N23,000,000 to signify the Muharram 1444AH disbursement to 126 beneficiaries. The impact of this is that it is going to alleviate poverty and increase employment rate and reduce hunger among Nigerians.”
According to Adelotan, the beneficiaries, many of whom went home with sewing machines, industrial sewing machines grinding machines, ovens, deep freezers, among other equipment, included members and non-members of NASFAT who were in need of support.
The president of NASFAT, Alhaji Niyi Yusuf, disclosed that in the last seven years, NAZAS had disbursed N450 million zakat to about 50,000 indigents, including about 2,000 direct beneficiaries impacted through the annual Ramadan and Muharram disbursements.
He described zakat as an obligation in Islam, noting that Muslims who have attained the prescribed net worth are to pay zakat.
The chief missioner of NASFAT, Imam Abdul-Azeez Maruf Onike, said the zakat disbursement programme through NAZAS was in line with the mission of NASFAT to develop and enlighten the ummah and nurture the true understanding of Islam for the spiritual development and welfare of mankind.
He charged Muslims who have the means to pay zakat, noting that Allah institutionalised zakat to reduce poverty among the people.
Imam Onike said: “Almighty Allah who has institutionalised zakat is our Creator. He knows if those who have give to those who don’t have, poverty would be reduced drastically.
“Allah says there is no creature that has not been provided for by the Creator. That provision may now be kept with someone else. It now behooves that person to discharge the responsibility of giving the provision to those who need it. That is why everybody who has money that is zakatable should release part of it, just 2.5 percent, to those around him.
“Qur’an is very clear about those who should be zakat recipients. Zakat will drastically reduce poverty if it is well administered. You will agree with me that if we have so many organisations doing what NASFAT is doing by setting up NAZAS, we won’t be talking about poverty as we are talking about it now.”
Imam Onike hinted that beneficiaries of NAZAS zakat disbursement were now living fine and had had their honour redeemed.
According to him, the aim is to ensure that everyone lives a decent life in the society.
“In the last seven years, the agency has disbursed N450 million. That is no small money. A lot of our members and even non-members who have benefited from our zakat disbursement are now living very fine. They have had their honour redeemed. They don’t have to beg fellow human beings to live. If you have to beg people to survive, your honour is being tampered with,” he said.
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