A non-profit organisation, Abibakr As-Sidiq Philanthropic Home (ASPH), in collaboration with the Eta’am Basket of King Salman Human Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, in Abuja, flagged off the distribution of 138 tonnes of food items to 13,800 vulnerable Nigerians as the holy month of Ramadan approaches.
At the ceremony, the president of ASPH, Malam Abdulrazaq Ibrahim Salman, said Nigerians, irrespective of religion or ethnicity, had been weighed down by the burden of high food prices and general food insecurity which had made their living conditions unbearable.
Salman, who was represented by the Vice President (Special Duties), Hajiya Fatima Gada, said the inauguration of the Eta’am Food Basket project for the year 2022 was part of measures to bring succour to people mostly affected by the situation.
He said: “We at Abibakr As-Sidiq Philanthropic Home are humbled to be considered as the implementing partner for this immensely impactful project which will touch the lives of 13,800 of the most vulnerable Nigerians.
“Our most sincere appreciation goes to the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief centre) for providing 138 tonnes of salt, vegetable oil, semolina, beans, rice and seasoning. Each food basket is projected to feed a family of six for at least 15 days.
“KSrelief has been actively present in Nigeria and they have impacted the lives of thousands of Nigerians, especially in the north-eastern part of the country through medical outreach programmes, food relief to IDPs in Yobe State and so on which shows that KSrelief is committed to humanitarian aid around the world.”
The Deputy Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria, Faisal bin Ibrahim Alghamdi, in a remark, said the initiative was targeted at meeting the needs of 13,800 Nigerians through the distribution of 2,300 food baskets to them as the month of Ramadan drew near.
Alghamdi said in the past six years, the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and KSrelief Center had spent more than $5 billion on 1,990 projects in 79 countries in the areas of food security, health monitoring and emergency relief.
“In Nigeria, the King Salman Center has executed projects to the tune of $14.6 million in the areas of food security, health and education.
“It is worthy to note that within the framework to assist the internally displaced persons in Borno, Kogi and Zamfara states, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the King Salman Center, has distributed food and relief materials in those states at the cost of $10 million between 2018 and 2021,” he stated.
The ambassador gave the assurance that Saudi Arabia would continue to render assistance whenever and wherever it is necessary in Nigeria and elsewhere around the world
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