The Association of Zakkat and Waqf Operators in Nigeria, has called on states and Federal Government to institutionalise Zakkat and Waqf to address the current economic challenges and poverty at the grassroots.
AZAWON is the umbrella body for all institutions and individuals that collect, distributes and manage Islamic charity in Nigeria and it’s a member of World Zakkat and Waqf Forum with headquarters in Malaysia.
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The chairman of the association, Engr. Muhammad Maidoki made the call at a news conference on Wednesday ahead of the fourth National Conference of the association scheduled for 12th to 16th December, in Hadejia, Jigawa State.
“Zakkat is not only a religious obligation, it’s a vehicle for positive transformation that uplifts society and foster a sense of shared responsibility.
“In Nigeria, Islamic social finance (2015) reveals that the potential of Zakkat reaches 1.8 percent of GDP. At the same year, the resources needed to alleviate poverty was only 1.4 percent of GDP. This means that Zakkat alone can alleviate poverty of USD 1.25 per day,” he said.
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He, therefore, called on the private sector and well-to-do individuals to pay Zakkat which is an obligation among the five pillars of Islam.
According to him, Islamic social finance instruments, such as Zakkat and Waqf offer a sustainable and effective approach to addressing destitution, unemployment, inequality and debilitating social injustice.
Maidoki further called on the government to come up with laws that would enforce the collection of Zakkat from the wealthy individuals for onward distribution to poorest of the poor.
“Zakkat is ordained by Allah as a method for wealth redistribution and antidote for economic and social inequality. Countries that have embraced Islamic social finance are winning the fight against abject poverty
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“So wealthy Muslims are encouraged to give out Zakkat and endowment as part measures to reduce begging especially among the less-privileged persons in the society,” he said.
He noted that Nigerian government at the Federal and State levels have a lot to copy from the manuals used by some Muslim-dominated countries like Malaysia so as to address poverty.
