Zakat and Waqf should be viewed as tools for poverty alleviation, not instruments of religious imposition, stakeholders at a high-level workshop in Kaduna State have said. The two-day event, organised by the office of the Special Adviser to Governor Uba Sani on Social Development, brought together religious leaders, policymakers and development experts to explore innovative financing for social protection. Participants agreed that formalising Zakat and Waqf systems could significantly boost social welfare programmes, particularly for vulnerable populations. They stressed that the frameworks are inclusive by design and aligned with broader development goals. The workshop concluded with a call for stronger collaboration between government and faith-based institutions to ensure transparency and equitable distribution.
The push to frame Zakat and Waqf as non-religious tools comes from officials in a state led by a Muslim governor, raising questions about how such schemes would function in a region with a different religious majority. If these funds are truly non-sectarian, then their administration must be visibly neutral to gain public trust across faith lines. The success of the initiative hinges not on intent but on whether non-Muslims in Kaduna will see themselves as beneficiaries, not bystanders.
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