The Jigawa State Government has terminated the contracts of 22 caterers engaged in its Ramadan feeding programme after uncovering alleged embezzlement and irregularities in the management of funds meant for Iftar meals for vulnerable residents.
The government said the dismissals followed complaints and monitoring reports indicating that some contractors mishandled public resources and failed to meet the agreed standards for food supply under the humanitarian initiative.
On Friday, the government confirmed that the affected vendors were drawn from several local government areas, including Kafin Hausa, Birnin Kudu, Sule Tankarkar, Hadejia, Jahun, Guri, Malam Madori, and Gwaram.
The programme was introduced to provide daily meals for millions of vulnerable residents across hundreds of designated centres as part of the state government’s humanitarian interventions.
However, barely two weeks after commencement, supervisory teams uncovered irregularities during routine monitoring exercises and in response to public complaints.
According to the state Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties, Auwalu Sankara, investigations revealed widespread misconduct among several vendors, including diversion of funds, delivery of inadequate food portions, and poor quality meals served to beneficiaries.
The commissioner explained that the affected caterers were removed after field inspections confirmed several violations, including incomplete food packages, unsatisfactory meal quality, and failure by some vendors to pay cooks engaged for the programme.
“These individuals and entities have been dismissed for gross misconduct, mismanagement of public funds, and poor handling of the programme,” Sankara said.
He added that the government would not tolerate practices capable of undermining the credibility of a programme designed to support vulnerable citizens during the fasting period.
The commissioner emphasized that the government would not tolerate practices undermining the credibility of a programme designed to support vulnerable citizens during Ramadan.
“Our commitment to maintaining standards remains firm. Any contractor found violating the guidelines will face immediate sanctions because the welfare of the people cannot be compromised,” Sankara added.
Authorities have already begun replacing the dismissed vendors with qualified contractors to ensure continuity of the feeding programme.
“We are already in the process of substituting these individuals with deserving contractors who will uphold transparency and deliver services according to the approved standards,” he said.
“The people deserve better services and accountability,” Sankara said, noting that government agencies would continue strict monitoring to ensure the programme runs effectively.
Sankara thanked Governor Umar Namadi for backing the programme and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to ensuring that humanitarian interventions are executed with transparency and strict accountability.
