To mark its 25th anniversary and commemorate International Widows Day, the Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation has empowered several widows and vulnerable individuals in Ijebu Ode with essential tools to start or strengthen their small businesses.

The empowerment programme, held on Sunday, June 29, 2025, at Itoro Hall, Ijebu Ode Local Government Secretariat, saw over 60 beneficiaries receive a wide range of business support items. These included fully-equipped laundry setups, nylon production machines, provision store starter kits, deep freezers, generators, and a brand-new Bajaj motorcycle.

According to the Foundation, the initiative is part of its long-standing mission to alleviate poverty and promote economic self-reliance through effective zakat distribution.

Although widows remained the primary focus of the exercise, the Foundation said it also extended support to other economically vulnerable persons in the community, reflecting its inclusive approach to addressing social hardship.

beneficiaries

Speaking to Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, after the event, the Executive Director, Prince Sulaimon Olagunju, represented by Mallam Abdulateef Lawal, stressed the religious and social significance of Zakat and Sadaqat.

“This programme is one of the focal points of the Foundation. We collect zakat and distribute it to the needy as stipulated in the Holy Qur’an, Chapter 9, Verse 60. We’ve been doing this for years,” he said.

He added that the 16th zonal distribution coincided with the Foundation’s 25th anniversary and involved a total zakat disbursement of ₦14.9 million. Lawal urged well-to-do Muslims to support the Foundation’s work, describing it as a selfless platform that has impacted countless lives including students, orphans, and widows over the years.

“We want to implore our Muslim brethren who are well to do to come and support this foundation. This foundation is one of those that render selfless services to people. For the past 25 years, many Muslims, students, Orphans, widows have been empowered and taken care of and today they’re better off. When the support is much, the more the merrier. We can do more with more hands,” he noted.

He also emphasized that zakat, being one of the pillars of Islam, must be returned to its rightful beneficiaries.

To deepen public understanding, he mentioned that the Foundation holds weekly enlightenment sessions every Friday on Eagle 102.5 FM Ilese Ijebu, to educate listeners about the purpose and process of zakat.

“Paying zakat is a pillar of Islam and one of its objectives is to return zakat to the rightful place thats why every Friday we go live on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu to give enlightenment on zakat and we are doing it to educate people to know more about zakat”, He stated.

Meanwhile, several beneficiaries expressed gratitude for the support, describing the intervention as life-changing.

Many shared hopes of becoming self-sufficient and contributing to the Foundation’s mission in the future.

some of the beneficiaries