Kano State Government says it is targeting the distribution of more than 3.5 million meals under its 2026 Ramadan feeding programme across the state.
The Commissioner for Religious Affairs and Chairman of the Ramadan Feeding Programme, Alhaji Ahmed Tijani, said this while inspecting designated cooking centres responsible for preparing and packaging meals for beneficiaries.
Tijani said the inspection was aimed at assessing hygiene conditions, quality of ingredients and the general cooking process at the centres.
According to him, the team focused on cooking facilities and packaging processes rather than distribution points.
“We visited some of the major contractors responsible for preparing large quantities of meals daily for the programme.
“One of the companies we inspected feeds about 25,000 people daily, while others also prepare between 13,000 and 25,000 meals each day,” he said.
He explained that the programme targets the preparation of about 115,000 meal packages daily throughout the 29 days of Ramadan.
The commissioner said the meals would be distributed across the eight metropolitan Local Government Areas of the state.
Tijani commended the contractors for maintaining good hygiene standards at the cooking centres.
“We inspected the kitchens, the environment and the packaging process to ensure that the food meets the required hygiene standards.
“We are satisfied with what we saw. The level of cleanliness and the quality of the food being prepared are commendable,” he said.
He added that government officials had intensified monitoring to ensure quality control throughout the programme.
According to him, the supervision has helped address earlier concerns about food quality recorded at the beginning of the exercise.
“For the past two weeks, we have been visiting different centres to monitor both the quantity and quality of meals being prepared,” he said.
Tijani also said the government had resolved cases where some individuals attempted to divert food meant for designated distribution centres.
He noted that the situation had been addressed in collaboration with local authorities, adding that such cases had reduced significantly.
The commissioner said the cooking centres were also complying with the dietary standards approved by the state government.
“We checked the ingredients being used, including cooking oil, seasoning and meat, and they meet the required standards,” he said.
Tijani described the 2026 Ramadan feeding programme as one of the most organised in the state, noting that the government would continue to monitor the exercise to ensure its success.
(NAN)
