This charge was given at the 15th Annual General Meeting of the Muslim Welfare Fund (MUWELF) which was held in Lagos.
Reviewing activities of the fund in the last one year, the members deplored what they called the dwindling contributions of members in relation to the needs of the fund in the year under review.
Established in 1997 as an Islamic charity, the MUWELF is made up of five organisations, the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), Movement for Islamic Culture and Awareness (MICA), the Companion, the Criterion and the Muslim Teachers Association of Nigeria (MUTAN).
According to the annual report, the fund gave out a total of N945,000 as grant to students from tertiary institutions during the period, in addition to employing Islamic Religious Studies teachers in two secondary schools in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
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MUWELF also provided N1,080,000 to 22 Muslim market women to start to a microfinance scheme. This was in addition to N2,115,000 provided to 23 indigent applicants to establish small businesses.
The fund also engaged in vocational training, health and social welfare services, prisoner welfare services as well as social welfare for aged widows.
The fund is financed from contributions from members of the five organisations who are expected to contribute a minimum of N500 per month.
A total of N7,613,430 was realised in the financial year, while N8,494,972 was spent, representing a deficit of N881,542.
The fund, therefore, sought the cooperation of other Islamic bodies and corporate organisations to realise its objectives in the core areas of education, empowerment and welfare.
and then