Chairman of the committee and Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani Auwal, disclosed this during an inspection of cooking centres on Saturday in Kano.
The delegation included the committee’s Secretary, Alhaji Akibu Isa-Murtala, alongside other members, directors and advisers to the governor.
Auwal said the government established 115 feeding centres for the 2026 Ramadan programme, compared with 95 centres in 2025.
According to him, each centre provides 1,000 plates of food daily to support vulnerable residents during the fasting period.
“In 2025, the government spent over N2.5 billion on the programme with 95 centres.
“This year it expanded to 115 centres, with more than N4.5 billion spent,” he said.
He explained that the committee had inspected the centres for the past 16 days to ensure quality, hygiene and proper distribution.
“We visit three to four centres daily to ensure the quality and quantity of the food are maintained.
“Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf directed us to ensure meals are hygienic to prevent food poisoning and guarantee beneficiaries receive quality food,” he added.
Auwal noted that beyond feeding the poor, the programme had stimulated economic activities across the state.
“When such a huge amount enters the economy, it stimulates markets.
“Vendors selling rice, onions, seasoning, cooking oil and packaging materials are benefiting,” he said.
He added that the initiative had also created employment opportunities for many residents, especially youths and women.
Hajiya Sa’a Adda’u, owner of 10 to 10 Restaurant, said the programme enabled her organisation to employ more than 240 ad-hoc workers.
Similarly, Catering Manager of Meena Event Centre, Mrs Ina Zein, said the centre cooks about 25,000 plates of food daily to meet demand.
Zein said the centre engaged about 250 additional workers, including cooks, cleaners, packers and supervisors, to ensure efficient service delivery.
“We already had about 300 staff, but employed about 250 more so we can keep up with the 25,000 packs produced daily,” she said.
Mr Abong Shem, head of the packaging team at Meena Event Centre, commended the government for providing temporary jobs during Ramadan.
He said the programme had helped engage many youths who might otherwise remain idle during the fasting period. (NAN)