By Hassan Hussain
The NASFAT Agency for Zakat and Sadaqat, NAZAS, FCT Zone, has provided N11.916 million in empowerment support to 40 beneficiaries and paid school fees for 152 pupils in Abuja.
The intervention was part of activities marking the Islamic New Year, Muharram, and was aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable members of society through economic empowerment, education and healthcare assistance.
“Since its establishment in 2014, NAZAS has collected and distributed about one billion naira nationwide through various humanitarian interventions.”
Speaking at the disbursement ceremony held at the NASFAT Mosque, Utako, Abuja, Chairman of NAZAS FCT Zone, Alhaji Isiaq Ajibola, said the programme reflected the agency’s commitment to supporting the less privileged.
Ajibola said since its establishment in 2014, NAZAS had collected and distributed about one billion naira nationwide through various humanitarian interventions.
He added that the FCT Zone, inaugurated in 2019, had also disbursed close to 200 million naira in cash and material support to beneficiaries.
He said the agency’s major areas of intervention include empowerment of the needy, scholarships for indigent students and medical assistance for people facing health challenges.
The NAZAS FCT Chairman recalled that the agency had executed several projects, including the construction of boreholes in underserved communities, support for inmates at the Keffi Correctional Centre, and provision of income-generating tools such as tricycles, generators, laptops, deep freezers and grinding machines.
He also disclosed that during the last Ramadan, the agency spent about two million naira to settle medical bills of indigent patients at the National Hospital, Abuja.
Ajibola said beneficiaries of the latest empowerment programme received items including deep freezers, industrial sewing machines, generating sets, heat press machines and laptops to enable them to establish or expand their businesses.
He explained that NAZAS also visited Karmo Primary School in Abuja, where it paid school fees for 152 pupils whose parents and guardians could not afford the cost.
According to him, the initiative was driven by the belief that every child deserves access to education regardless of financial background.
The NAZAS chairman urged beneficiaries to see the support as an opportunity to improve their lives and extend assistance to others when they become financially stable.
He encouraged them to embrace the spirit of giving and work towards becoming future Zakat payers.
Ajibola commended donors who entrusted their Zakat and Sadaqat to NAZAS, saying their contributions had enabled the agency to restore hope and support families in need.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the outgoing FCT Council, describing its members as professionals drawn from different sectors who supported the agency’s humanitarian objectives.
The event was attended by NAZAS officials, beneficiaries, donors and community leaders.
