DANGOTE LIFTS 110, 000 BENUE FLOOD VICTIMS WITH N250 MILLION

LAGOS, Nigeria – Chairman, National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has donated N250 million as relief to those affected by the flood in Benue.

Speaking in Lagos, Dangote said the donation was in response to the request by Governor Samuel Orthom of Benue State.

He said that the committee had also approved the release of one of its completed IDP Hostels in the state as temporary shelter for some of the displaced people.

The Dangote committee is charged with raising funds to support government’s efforts to provide adequate relief and post-impact rehabilitation to persons and communities affected by floods in the country.

Dangote said the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said more than 110,000 people in 24 communities, including Makurdi, were displaced by the recent flood in Benue. The committee chairman said that asides the donation to Benue, his committee had also donated N150 million to provide relief assistance to flood victims in Anambra,

Dangote, in a statement by Mr Sunday Esan of the Corporate Communication Department of Dangote Group, said that the committee had also released N118 million to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

He said that this was to augment the N1.6 billion released by the Federal Government for procurement of food and non-food relief materials in aid of flood victims in 16 states. According to him, the states are Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Abuja FCT, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau and Sokoto.

He said that the committee was currently implementing the various projects in the 24 states affected by the 2012 nationwide floods. Dangote said that the rationale behind the projects was to assist the benefiting states to better handle future emergencies, including flooding.