The North-East Development Commission (NEDC), through its state office, has donated 9,000 food items to Falmata Babagana-Zulum’s office for onward distribution to households ahead of Ramadan.

Muhammed Umar, the NEDC’s state coordinator, who made the presentation to the governor’s wife on Saturday in Maiduguri, said the gesture was to cushion the effects of hardship on households during Ramadan.

The palliatives were targeted at the needy and downtrodden families in the state.

The items are 3,000 bags of rice, 2,000 bags of sugar, 2,000 cartons of spaghetti and 2,000 gallons of vegetable oil.

NEDC’s office in the state had, in the last 12 months, donated more than 40,000 bags of rice and other non-food items to households in Borno, worth billions of naira.

Mr Muhammed said the gesture was extended to the governors’ wives in the six states that made up the North-Eastern region, adding that the palliatives were normally given to the needy and downtrodden people directly by the commission contrary to the new development.

“This time around, the first Lady, Her Excellency Mrs Remi Tinubu, had pleaded with the commission that this gesture should be extended to the wives of the state governors, and that was what necessitated the donation to governors’ wives in the region for onward distribution to the needy,” the coordinator said.

Responding, the governor’s wife, who was represented by Hauwa Mai Musa, Special Adviser to Mr Zulum on Women Affairs, expressed appreciation to the management of NEDC for the gesture.

Mrs Babagana-Zulum promised to deliver the items to the good people of Borno, saying, “This is not the first time the gesture is being extended to the state.

“I pray you will continue to support us as usual in the state.”

(NAN)