A Nigerian senator, representing Kano Central District Senator, Rufai Hanga, has explained why he donated burial materials to his constituents.
According to him, he made the gesture so as to please God and seek eternal reward.
Hanga’s aides had announced the donation of 500,000 clay pots and 500,000 pieces of plain white cloths to help his constituents in burying their dead.
The aide, Dawuud Auwal, said Mr Hanga, whose district covers 15 local government areas, said the donation was in response to frequent demands for assistance for burial materials from his constituents.
However, contrary to Mr Auwal’s claims, Mr Hanga said he donated only 2,000 clay pots and 10,500 yards of white cloth to the Muslim graveyards in his constituency.
“The district head of Tarauni and head of the committee overseeing the graveyard in Kano, Ado Kurawa, has supervised the 500,000 clay pots and 500,000 white plain cloths (likkafani) donated by Senator Rufai Hanga for distribution to the graveyard in Kano Central District. After the supervision he directed for the distribution”, Mr Auwal had claimed.
Following the post, Mr Hanga came under tense criticism from some of his constituents and social media users accusing him of underrepresentation.
But Mr Hanga at a press conference on Sunday said the donation was not part of his constituency projects.
He blamed the misconception on “cynics and opponents who out of hatred and malice spread the misinformation.”
In his first press conference since his election in 2023, Mr Hanga said the donation of burial materials was something he had been doing before his election.
He said it was a family legacy that he grew up to see and inherited, hoping to continue to do it throughout his time on earth.
“We made the donation to Kano State committee for the graveyards headed by ‘Dangoribar’ Kano and district head of Tarauni Local government. We had found out that clay pots were lacking in most of our graveyards and decided to donate,” the newspaper quoted him saying.
Responding to accusation of underrepresentation since he was elected, Mr Hanga said he has been battling ill-health and travelled abroad for medication.
He said he stayed for seven months in hospitals in Nigeria and was later flown to Egypt and England, where he spent three months each in hospital.
The lawmaker said despite still recuperating, he initiated projects for his constituency in the 2023 budget, and vowed to follow up to ensure their implementation.
