April 05, (THEWILL) – Members of the College of Arts and Remedial Studies (CAS), Kano, IJMB Class 2002, on Friday, donated N1,631,000 to 31 orphans of 14 of their deceased classmates.
The money was disbursed to the beneficiaries at a ceremony held at the premises of the college in Kano amid tears from both the beneficiaries and the donors themselves.
The Association said the gesture was aimed at assisting the orphans in this Holy month of Ramadan and for the forthcoming Sallah festival.
The President of the association, Dr. Muhammad Shamsuddeen, said the union organised the programme having considered the need to support the families of the deceased members of the association.
“This programme may have come late because we have been planning for it for a long time but the delay was caused by the formalisation of the association.
“We worked assiduously to make sure this association is registered as we are on the verge of getting a CAC certificate.
“That is why we decided to use the opportunity to contribute money among ourselves to support these orphans,” Shamsuddeen said.
He said the support is the tip of the iceberg, assuring that “next time, we will conduct an investigation on the needs of the orphans. We are giving them this to put a smile on their faces during this Sallah festivities.”
He thanked the Provost of the college for his support of the association.
The disbursement programme was emotion-charged as when the orphans were called upon to collect the money, nearly everybody present, including the orphans and widows broke into tears at the historic event.
The Provost of the institution, Dr, Sunusi Yakubu Ahmad, gave the money to the beneficiaries.
Giving a breakdown of the donation, Isma’il Galadima, Chairman of the Disbursement Committee, said the forum donated the sum of N1,631,000 through crowdfunding.
According to Galadima, 31 children of the 14 deceased colleagues were given N50,000 each.
He explained that 16 children of 7 deceased members, residing outside Kano State received their money via transfer, while 15 children of 7 deceased members of the association living in Kano received their shares at the CAS Kano at the event.
In his remarks, the Provost of the college, Dr Ahmad, described the support scheme as one of his biggest achievements in his tenure as Provost, adding that the initiative would help in securing a good future for the orphans.
“This is a kind gesture that is worth emulating. It tells you that death is real and shall come to everybody,” he said.
While comforting the widows and the orphans, the Provost assured them that they would smile in their future.
He urged the widows to take good care of the orphans in order to become productive in the society.
He also promised to support the association and urged the other Class chapters to emulate the forum.
About the Author
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
