In a bid to ensure that the Christian community in Bauchi State celebrates the Yuletide period with joy and happiness, Governor Sen Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has approved the immediate release of the sum of £120 million for the purchase of food and other items.
The items are to be distributed to all the different Christian groups under the umbrella of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the 2023 Christmas and New Year celebrations across the state.
The disclosure was made by the Chairman of the Distribution Committee, Abdon Dallah Gin, while briefing journalists at the Government House, Bauchi, on Saturday.
He explained that the items distributed to the Christian community for the celebration of Christmas included 66 bulls, 102 rams, 1,438 (50kg) bags of rice, and 189 25kg containers of groundnut oil.
Abdon Dallah Gin, who is the Special Adviser to the Governor on Civil Service Matters, recalled that since coming on board in 2019, the administration of Sen Bala Mohammed has established a tradition of providing food and other items to the Christian community for a pleasant commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ every year.
He said, “As usual, the Committee has allocated a substantial portion of the food items to CAN, which is also allocated to all the five blocs across the state.”
He mentioned other beneficiaries of the Governor’s kind gesture, including Christian government functionaries, relevant Federal Government functionaries, and other Christian groups and associations.
Abdon Dallah Gin said, “Accordingly, these items this year were equitably distributed across the state and beyond by the standing Committee.”
He also said, “Understandably, the Local Government Caretaker Committees are complementing this gesture by giving Christians gifts in their respective Christian communities.”
According to him, “It is also gratifying to note that, as the Christmas gift items were being distributed, His Excellency, the Governor approved the release of December salaries to Civil Servants/Public Officers to assist them in making purchases during this yuletide period.”
“The Committee, therefore, wishes to use this medium to thank Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed and his entire government for this benevolence,” he added.
He further said, “We also appreciate the open and accommodating posture that has thrown away primordial sentiments, thereby treating people of the state with tremendous love and care to the extent that everybody is having a sense of belonging, with the consequent effect that peace reigns supreme in this multi-ethnic state.”
“Other ethnic groups resident in Bauchi State and people with special needs that require close attention are among the beneficiaries of the laudable gesture in this festive season, which personifies love and togetherness,” Abdon Dallah Gin concluded.
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