No fewer than 50 cows were slaughtered and distributed, by the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) Foundation, to the less privileged in the society who could not afford to kill rams to celebrate this year’s Eld-el-Adha.
NTIC Foundation organizes this gesture as an annual event to make both Muslim and non-Muslim members of their given communities happy at Sallah just as it also does same but in their form at Ramadan Fast period and Christmas season for Muslims and Christians respectively.
This year’s meat distribution programme of the Foundation took place at the college’s campus in the OPIC area of Ogun/Lagos states border town of Isheri Olofin, Ogun State near Ojodu Berger.
In his remarks, Principal of the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges in Ogun, Ercan Yilmaz, who is the host, said “the meat distribution which is an annual event is an integral part of the various charity works which NTIC Foundation spearheads on behalf of the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges nationwide.”
He said just as in the previous years, the top management of the schools is reaching out to the poor, the sick and the needy members of the society, stressing that for such people, the festive spirit of the Sallah period could have been a mirage.
“This charity programme, spearheaded by NTIC Foundation becomes even more relevant now considering the biting effect of the economy on the common people and their family members.
“Corporate establishment are not left out as each sector of the economy feels the crushing effect of the recession. You would recalled that in the years past, we used to slaughter over hundred cows and their meat distributed across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Kwara states.
Adding, “This year we could only slaughter 50 and distribute the beef across the states of the southwest. Our belief is that rather than not sharing at all, it would still be better to give whatever little we have to gladden the hearts of as many people as possible.
Speaking further on why the deduction in the number of cows slaughter compared to last year, he said the economic recession is affecting and that their home country Turkey is getting worse day by day.
“Unfortunately it is my country but the country is getting worse. We use to have more support from Turkey; our businessmen, our people from Turkey, they use to send lot of things during the Sallah but unfortunately it is reducing. It is going down, but this year what is good is that all funds for these cows that we are talking about is not from Turkey; majority is from Nigeria here which is good.
“When we started this project in previous years about 95 percent was coming from Turkey but now our own is increasing in Nigeria,” he added.
Yilmaz also said there is sufficient joy in sharing no matter how little, stressing that as it is been done in the college to cater for Southwest, other branches in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and Yobe states are doing the same for their respective regions.
However, he noted that similar campaigns are taking place in many countries all over the world for the same purpose to the same set of people, adding that this is done in a bid to reduce the pain and sadness of the poor and the needy.
“More importantly to show the world that the more we care for and remember the needy, the happier and peaceful this world would be for us all to live,” he added.
