The Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society of Nigeria’s (NASFAT) registered company, NASFAT Agency for Zakat and Sadaqat (NAZAS) FCT Zone, on Saturday in Abuja disbursed N11m worth of cash and items to 60 beneficiaries in the FCT and environ.
During the disbursement, held at the NASFAT Mosque, Utako Abuja, the Chairman of the NAZSA, FCT Zone, Isiaq Ajibola, said that this was keeping the promise to widen the amount and number of beneficiaries after the after the maiden disbursement held in 2019.
According to the former Managing Director of Media Trust Limited, the event was the third 3rd Zakat disbursement to beneficiaries since their inauguration in Abuja in February 2019.
While the 28 female and 32 male beneficiaries were given N50,000 and N500,000, for those given cash; item distributed to others were deep freezers, tricycles, motorcycles, medical wheel chair, vacuum cleaner, laptops, industrial sewing machines and dryers among others.
Ajibola said that NAZAS was originally established in 2014 as a Company Limited by Guarantee, primarily set up to collect, disburse and administer charity (Zakat Sadaqat and Waqaf) to the needy in accordance to the injunctions of Almighty Allah in Quran Chapter 9, Verse 60.
“Though formed and owned by NASFAT society, NAZAS is an agency managed by its own independent Board of Directors with the mandate to touch the lives of the needy and the vulnerable in the society.
“The agency also has the responsibility of improving the awareness of Muslims of their obligation towards the payment of Zakat; which is the third pillar of Islam, and thereby taking many people away from the ignorance of Zakat calculation and commitments,” he said.
He added that since its inception in 2014, NAZAS has nationwide collected over N250m and disbursed same to the under privileged in the society in one form of intervention in critical areas of empowerment, health and education assistance.
“In this regards the agency has empowered over 700 people, providing trade empowerment, medical support, debt relief and so on to the needy. It has provided annual scholarship grants to over 150 students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. It has also provided relief materials to over 26,000 displaced persons among others,” he said.
He said that the NAZAS FCT Zone has 11 members Advisory Council that manages the collection and disbursement of funds from the zone, with some of the members cutting across every segment of the society and even outside NASFAT.
He also commended the donors who have found the organisation credible enough to channel their Zakat and Sadaqat obligations across to the needy through them, praying Allah to continue to uplift and reward them.
He urged them to be ambassadors of Islam to inform other wealthy Nigerians to key into the injunction of Allah to cleanse their wealth and pay Zakat and Sadaqat to guarantee a better redistribution of wealth in the society and uplifting the lives of the poor and the needy in the nation.
He also urged the recipients to make the best use of the item and cash and to also strife, legitimately to be able to join the league of those paying zakat to held other needy in the society.