NASFAT urges Nigerians to be patient amidst economic hardship
• Floats feeding platforms across Nigeria
TNasrul- lahi- l- Fathi Society ( NASFAT) has called on Nigerians to exercise patience and perseverance in the face of the tough economic hardship bedevilling the country. To cushion the economic hardship, NASFAT will be feeding millions of Nigerians during and after the Holy month of Ramadan.
Speaking during the group’s yearly Ramadan lecture tagged “Despair Not of the Mercy of Allah”, the President, Ayodeji Abdulrauf, revealed that the group would provide free food to Nigerians all over the country. “The feeding programme we intend to continue even after Ramadan. Everything depends on our members. We expect collaborations with external people to join us in actualizing this target. We intend to continue even after Ramadan. It may not be daily. We may decide to pick a particular quarter to do it. Everything depends on the kind of funds we can raise.
“The economic condition is hard, so we have no choice but to empower our members. From the policy we designed, we plan to empower both members and non- members of the society. In Lagos alone, we target feeding 60,000 people; likewise, in all other locations across the country. We are given at all our locations a minimum of 500 and a maximum of 8000 people. We know some are doing up to 10,000.”
NASFAT’S National Women Affairs leader, Alhaja Ganiyat Babalola, urged women to support their husbands and families to survive the current high cost of living in the country. “Everyone is feeling the impact of the current situation of things in the country. I appeal to women, no matter how much a man or family could be earning with the high cost of living now, to be patient.
“We should make do with whatever is available and talk to our children so that we live within our means. As it is, if we have food for two people, I can assure you that it can be enough for four people,” Ganiyat appealed. Speaking to the theme of the lecture, an Associate Professor, Department of Foreign Languages, Lagos State University, who is also one of the guest speakers, Dr. Saheed Timehin, urged Nigerians not to despair in the face of current economic challenges.
He stated, “We should be talking about Ramadan today. But NASFAT, in its wisdom, decided to address an issue that is affecting everybody, especially during this harsh economic situation where everyone is in a state of hopelessness and helplessness. This is the reason we want to examine the concept of despair.
“One of the primary intentions of Ramadan is to instil in us God consciousness and apart from that it is also to teach us patience and perseverance. In this kind of situation, we find ourselves, we need to be patient and persevere. You must be humble enough to learn new lessons that are coming up because we are becoming more creative these days. We have been challenged, so naturally difficult situations inspire human creativity. So, let’s learn the lessons and be positive that by the very special grace of Allah, Nigeria will be better very soon.”