At least 500 widows and vulnerable women in Bogoro local government area of Bauchi State have benefitted from the philanthropic gesture of a humanitarian outfit, Bulus Iliya Foundation for Development.
The foundation is the brainchild of a Bauchi-based philanthropist and a House of Assembly candidate for Bogoro Constituency in Bauchi State House of Assembly under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Bulus Iliya.
Iliya distributed over 1000 10kg bags of rice worth over N1.5 million to each of the widows and other vulnerable women in addition to N1,000 as transportation fare.
At the event held yesterday in Bogoro, headquarters of the council, Iliya said the foundation was established not to acquire wealth for himself, but to give back to the society by caring for the less privileged such as widows and other vulnerable women.
Iliya who was an aide to the immediate past speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara said, “I have been doing this philanthropic gesture even before I came out to aspire for this position, so this is not something that is new.
“I am not doing this on the basis of my party, APC because not all the widows and other women gathered here are from the APC, there are others from other political parties and I don’t discriminate on the basis of party.”
“You will notice that I did not shout the APC slogan during the distribution of the items, that was because I did not want any of them who belong to other political parties to feel offended. This is a philanthropic gesture,” he said
Iliya added that, “In the previous years, the Foundation distributed clothes but this time around, we changed based on the current situation in the country, people are hungry and need food.”
He stressed that there is a great difference between playing politics and philanthropic gesture because according to him, “hunger does not know political affiliation, poverty does not choose who to affect. Our target is to alleviate the suffering of as many poor people as possible.”
He warned beneficiaries not to contemplate selling the items but use it to feed their families for a little period. It will last saying, “eat the rice and have strength to pray for the peace of Bogoro LGA, Bauchi State and Nigeria. Pray for peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections.”
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