Kebbi Government has donated N100 million to the state Hisbah Committee, which was set up 20 years ago to promote moral values and tackle social ills in society.
The donation was announced on Sunday in Birnin Kebbi by Governor Atiku Bagudu during a fundraising for the committee as part of activities to mark its 20 years anniversary.
The Hisbah committee was hoping to raise N120 million for its services.
Mr Bagudu said that the money was jointly contributed by the state government, House of Assembly and the 21 local government councils in the state.
“We have to acknowledge the immense contribution of Hisbah to instilling moral values into the citizenry.
“The contributions include partaking in social welfare services and fighting societal ills such as alcohol consumption and prostitution, resolving marital disputes, among others.
“The group has been in the forefront of preventing crime and criminality in society.
“In view of its proactive approach to the prevention of social vices and crime, the incumbent administration has co-opted Hisbah into the security machinery of the state,” he said.
The governor commended previous administrations for establishing and sustaining the Hisbah committee and praised its leaders and members for their perseverance in the discharge of their duties.
The Secretary to the State Government, Babale Umar-Yauri, whose office supervises the Hisbah committee, said that the committee had performed meritoriously in the last 20 years.
“These achievements include the closure of beer parlors, abodes of prostitutes, rescuing abandoned children and newly born babies as well as other activities of the charity, which are the hallmark of the operations of Hisbah in the state,” he said.
Mr Umar-Yauri thanked the governor for sustaining financial support to the committee and shouldering the cost of organizing the 20th-anniversary celebration.
Earlier, the Acting Grand Khadi of the state, Dr Muhammad Argungu, described the celebration of the achievements of Hisbah in the 20 years of its existence, as a moment of pride.
“The hisbah has made significant contribution to sanitizing the society and removing things inimical to the health and wellbeing of the people,” he said.
Argungu thanked Bagudu for his fatherly care to orphans in the state.
In his remarks, the Emir of Gwandu, Muhammadu Bashar, reaffirmed the commitment of the Gwandu Emirate Council to support and cooperate with the Hisbah committee in its societal reformation, in consonance with Islamic values.
The Emir, represented by Walin Gwandu, Sheikh Mukhtar Abdullahi, advised the populace to support the Hisbah committee to effectively discharge its duty of cleansing the society of all vices.
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami acknowledged the performance of the committee, saying it had helped to reduce alcoholism and prostitution in the state.
Mr Malami, who chaired the occasion, advised the committee to focus more attention on tackling the consumption of other intoxicants among the youths.
Represented by a former Commissioner for Works and Transport, Abubakar Chika-Ladan, he warned that the rising consumption of illicit substances must be tackled with dispatch to save the future of the youths and its negative consequences to society.
The minister made a donation of N5 million to the Hisbah committee while the state APC gubernatorial candidate, Dr Nasir Idris, donated N500,000.
NAN
