Tuesday, August 26, 2025 - The Kaduna-based cleric Pastor Miracle Elijah has pleaded with public spirited Nigerians not to leave the responsibility of helping the poor solely to the government.
The cleric who said he had at some point in his lifetime
experienced hunger and therefore knows what it means, stressed, “I know hunger.
I have experienced it. I don’t want others to go through the same if I can
help. If we can all share the little, we have, Nigeria will be a better place.”
He added, “As we grow, we will not only feed people but also
empower them so that they too can help others. That is how we can build a
better community,” Elijah said.
In a bid to walk his talk, Elijah who is the Founder of the
Rehabilitation and Hope for the Vulnerable in Africa Initiative, on Saturday,
distributed foodstuffs to more than 1,000 indigent residents of Kaduna under a
humanitarian outreach tagged “Operation Feed the Nation.”
“God is not religious. He gives strength to both the just
and the unjust. So, he gives strength to everybody. I want to be like Him. For
me, it is not about religion; it is about humanity.
“Who is the government? They are people we send there to
represent us. It is what we do at the grassroots that reflects what we see up
there. The government alone cannot do everything.
“Even if the government sets aside N1bn today, before it
gets down, the money would have gone. Giving is not only government business;
it is everybody’s business,” he pointed out.
According to Punch, the cleric insisted that the initiative
came amid rising food prices and economic hardship in the country. For many of
the beneficiaries, the cartons of foodstuffs were a major relief.
However, he emphasised that the larger vision was to inspire
a culture of giving across Nigeria.
The cleric also promised to scale up the outreach in
December to cover school fees support and small-scale investments for families.
The outreach, which took place on August 23, 2025, brought
together Christians and Muslims who benefitted from cartons of foodstuffs
containing rice, beans, spaghetti, crayfish, tomato paste and seasoning cubes.
At the event, ten other beneficiaries were given N25,000
each.
According to him, he once lived on Kudenda Mountain in
Kaduna for months without food or shelter.
Elijah explained that the programme was his way of giving
back and ensuring others did not go through what he once experienced.
He disclosed that RAHVAI plans to extend its intervention
beyond food distribution to cover education and empowerment.
He also expressed optimism that the initiative would scale
up the numbers of the beneficiaries from 1,000 to more than 2,000 in the near
future.
He said, “I am one of those who enjoyed mercy, favour, and
grace. There was a time in my life when I couldn’t even feed myself. I lived at
Kudenda Mountain for months because I had no place to stay. But God showed me
mercy. Mercy found me, and God changed my story.
“I know that people are going through what I went through,
so I decided to sow myself as a seed and believe that God will also use me to
put food on their tables.
“We also want to pay children’s school fees, just like what
we are planning to do in December this year. We will invest in some people so
that they too can invest in the lives of others in the community. My greatest
goal is to see people grow up and, in turn, help others.
“Today, we have 1,000 people, but by God’s grace, we believe
that next time, it will be more than 2,000.
For the many residents at the event, the occasion was not
just about food but about hope. And for Elijah, who once lived in hunger on the
Kudenda Mountain, it was the fulfilment of a promise to himself: “God showed me
mercy, that’s why I feed others.”
Also, at the event were traditional and religious leaders
who praised the effort, describing it as one of the most impactful community
interventions in recent years.
The District Head of Makera, Alhaji Shehu Tijani, Chiroman
Zazzauzu, who was represented by Yakubu Batuk, said the initiative was well
organised, compared with the government-led palliatives during the COVID-19
pandemic.
“In 2019 and 2020, we were in the centre of COVID-19
challenges and saw the assistance from the federal and state governments. But I
still repeat, it seems there is none like the one we are witnessing this
morning,” he said.
He further urged beneficiaries to use the items judiciously,
saying, “If we can learn a little from what Pastor Miracle and his family have
done, then there is hope for Nigeria. Your condition today may change tomorrow.
And if it does, remember who you were yesterday so that you too can change the
lives of others.”
One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Markus Magaji, who came from
Buwaya in the Gonin-Gora community, could not hide his joy.
“I feel very happy to be part of the beneficiaries of this
kind gesture by Pastor Miracle. He has done what the governments could not do
in alleviating the suffering of the masses in this hard economic situation
being experienced in Nigeria today.
“I thank the donor, Pastor Miracle and his family, for
providing us with these foodstuffs. I want to say thank you. I also urge
wealthy individuals in the state and across the country to emulate this kind
gesture towards reducing the poverty level in Nigeria,” he said.
Another beneficiary, Halima Sani, a widow from the Rigasa
community, said the food items brought relief to her family of six. “We have
been struggling to eat twice a day because of the rising cost of food. This
package will go a long way. May God bless Pastor Miracle and increase him,” she
said.
For brahim Yusuf, a commercial tricycle rider, the
intervention was a reminder that ordinary Nigerians could support one another.
“This is not about government or politics. It is about humanity. If more people
come out like this, Nigeria will be better,” he said.
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