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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Wednesday, sent his sympathy to the people and government of Borno State over the massive flood that ravaged the state capital, Maiduguri, last week, killing at least 30 and displacing over a million.
Checks by The PUNCH indicated that donations to the Borno State government from various quarters, including the Federal Government, have crossed N17bn.
Obasanjo, in a sympathy message to the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, described the disaster as unfortunate and commended the government for its swift and courageous response to the situation.
In the message made available to the press by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Kehinde Akinyemi, the ex-President said, “Although seasonal flooding is not uncommon in many parts of Nigeria, all available accounts indicate that what Borno State has just suffered was one of the most devastating incidents in recent times.”
“This is evidenced by the magnitude of the loss of human lives, harvested food crops, farmlands, livestock, buildings, and personal effects involved.”
Obasanjo urged Zulum to maximise the crisis to showcase his leadership, saying, “It is usually in the midst of disasters of this nature that the qualities of good leadership and courage become manifest.”
“Permit me, therefore, to commend you and the Government of Borno State for the swiftness and efficacy with which you rose to the challenge, giving every possible support in your continued efforts to provide succor to those who have been dislocated.”
“Once again, I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the state government and the families of the deceased. May Almighty Allah comfort and strengthen those they left behind,” Obasanjo said.
Checks by The PUNCH on Wednesday indicated that the Borno State government had received over N17bn in donations from various quarters in the aftermath of the flooding.
Leading the donors was the Federal Government, which gave the state government N3bn in relief funds.
The Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, also announced a sum of $6m, approximately N10bn, in donations to the state government to support flood victims in Borno State.
The donation was announced in a statement by the United Nations Information Office, Oluseyi Soremekun, on Sunday.
According to the statement, a delegation led by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, visited Governor Zulum at the Government House in Maiduguri.
“The UN Country team announced the allocation of $6m from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, with more funding in the pipeline, bringing the total contribution to more than $8m,” the statement said.
The state government has also received a monetary donation from the President of the Aliko Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, who, last Friday, announced N1bn for the flood victims.
The billionaire businessman stated that N1 billion was allocated to the National Emergency Management Agency to collaborate with the Borno State Government.
In the same vein, Dangote’s uncle and a renowned northern billionaire, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, on Tuesday, donated N1.5bn.
Dantata made the donation during a visit to the Borno State Government House, where he led a team of northern elites to condole with Governor Zulum and the people of Borno.
Also, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday, made a donation of N100m, while the leader of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has donated N5m.
The House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday also announced a donation of N174m to the Borno flood victims.
Within Borno State, stakeholders and members of the National Assembly representing various constituencies also donated N552m.
Our reporter gathered that Maina Ma’aji Lawan donated N10m, former Borno governor Ali Modu Sheriff gave N100m, Ali Bukar Dalori donated N50 million, Senator M.T. Monguno donated N50m, Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan donated N50m , Aliyu Betara contributed N100m, Abdulkadir Rahis gave N25m, Ibrahim Abuna donated N25m, Honourable Usman Zannah gave N10m, Honourable Bukar Talb donated N10m, Yerima Kareto contributed N2m, Abdussalam Kachallah gave N100m, and Awari Usman Alkali donated N20m.
The Governor of neighboring Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, has also donated N100m to the victims of the Borno flood. Similarly, the Governor of Bauchi, Bala Muhammad, announced a donation of N250m.
Receiving the donations, Governor Zulum pledged that the state government would ensure the good use of the support to cater for victims of the flooding in all the affected communities.
In a statement on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on New Media, AbdulRahman Bundi, the Borno governor said the government aimed to mobilize support from citizens, organizations, and international partners to alleviate the suffering of flood victims and facilitate their recovery.
