Muslims Ramadan fasting has led to the cancelation of lunch for the delegates to the ongoing National Conference, as they would now be settled in cash.The decision was taken at plenary today, followed an amendment proposed by the conference chairman, retired Justice Idris Kutigi. Kutigi had proposed that a register be opened for those who would skip lunch as a result of Ramadan to enter their names.
He said the essence of the proposal was to allow delegates observing Ramadan to have their lunch monetized, adding: “we are aware that many of us will be fasting and will not take lunch here. As such, we will open a register so that those who will not take lunch will be paid.”
However, Senator Sergeant Awuse, a delegate representing River State amended the proposal by asking for the total scrapping of lunch and that, instead all delegates should be paid in cash.
This he said, will stop a situation where those who are not observing Ramadan would take advantage of the opportunity to request for monetisation of their lunch.
“We should scrap lunch completely so that people, who are not fasting, will not write their names. We can do without lunch. We can manage and support those who are fasting by doing without lunch,’’ he said.
Thereafter, the delegates overwhelmingly agreed that lunch be monetised in the spirit of Ramadan.
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