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‘The strategic role of Zakat in cushioning the effect of pandemic’

By Shakirah Adunola
18 September 2020   |   3:11 am
NASFAT Agency for ZAKAT and Sadaqat (NAZAS) has provided financial help to thousands of Muslims across the country to get them through the immediate difficulty caused by the pandemic.

NASFAT Agency for ZAKAT and Sadaqat (NAZAS) has provided financial help to thousands of Muslims across the country to get them through the immediate difficulty caused by the pandemic.
  
During the yearly general meeting, The Chairman of NAZAS, Hafiz Bakare said the agency was able to achieve this success through regular payment of Zakat and Sadaqat by donors.

“ For the first time since inception, the Agency crossed the N60 million mark in the corporate headquarters and with the consolidation of zones, crossed the N70 million mark in 2019.
  
“Indeed, as at end of May in the current year 2020, the Corporate Headquarters alone had already mobilized over N40 million through a combination of strategies and the extensive involvement of board members coupled with the diligence of all staff despite the shutdown in socio-economic activities and restriction of public gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
He said the Agency had been able to attend to the needs of people with urgent health requests and provided educational scholarship grants to over 120 students annually. In addition to organizing health missions to over 2,000 beneficiaries, and relief missions to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Yobe.

“We have equally continued to sponsor Medical missions for the benefit of some identified communities in Ikorodu, Amuwo Odofin, and Ikeja areas of Lagos State”.

Hafiz said over the last couple of the year, the agency has continued to give a regular monthly stipend to at least 10 aged individuals in Borno, Gombe, and Lagos states. Also providing voluntary services to teach Islamic Studies in some public secondary schools.
    
He noted that the NAZAS ‘Charity Drop Box’ which was designed and introduced a couple of years ago to ease collection and distribution of clothes, shoes, and other household materials to the less privileged in communities continues to make a laudable impact on the indigents.

“ We have placed more boxes in new locations in the course of the year. The Imam and Missionary Health Insurance Scheme which was launched in September 2019 leveraging the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS) is currently providing free health care under the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) model for our scholars (both NASFAT and Non-NASFAT) and five members of their immediate families.

“ We have enrolled 17 Imams and Missioners so far and our target is to engage 1,000 on this scheme over an initial period of five years as we implore you to key into this laudable innovation with just N40, 000,00 Only per family”.
   
Hafiz added that to further reposition the NAZAS brand and enhanced actualization of the Agency’s mandate, the Board approved a five-year Strategic Plan this year 2020 with nine major strategic imperatives to drive implementation. “These imperatives which were designed taking into consideration the involvement of our stakeholders, partners, current and prospective donors as well as our employees”
    
He noted that the Board has also approved performance management and Reward System based on the Balanced Scorecard.
  
“This would further ensure fair evaluation of staff performance taking cognizance of every staff’s contribution to the achievement of the annual budget for Zakat and Sadaqat mobilization within the context of the strategic plan as well as the peculiarity of each person’s job. Targets have been assigned and this would be the basis of performance appraisal across the agency starting from this year 2020”.

 
 

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