Dangote's relief management committee releases N250m to Benue State for flood victims

AFRICA'S richest man Alhaji Aliko Dangote has released the sum of N250m ($687,000) to the victims of the recent flooding in Benue State in his capacity as the chairman of the National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation.

Over recent weeks, Benue State has been deluged, as the River Benue burst its banks in several locations, devastating several communities and leaving thousands of people homeless. In response, the Benue State government has asked for federal assistance to address the crisis and Alhaji Dangote's committee has released some money to help.

According to Alhaji Dangote, the committee had also approved the release of one of its completed internally displaced persons hostels in the state as a temporary shelter for some of the displaced people. On October 11, 2012, former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated the Dangote-led 34-member National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation.

It was charged with raising of additional funds to support the government’s efforts to provide adequate relief and post-impact rehabilitation to persons and communities affected by floods in the country. Alhaji Dangote said the State Emergency Management Agency (Sema) had disclosed that more than 110,000 people in 24 communities, including Makurdi, were displaced by the recent floods in Benue.

He added that asides the donation to Benue State, his committee had also donated N150m to provide relief assistance to flood victims in Anambra State and N118m to the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema). Alhaji Dangote said that this was to augment the N1.6bn released by the federal government for procurement of food and non-food relief materials in aid of flood victims in 16 states.

These states include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, the Federal Capital Territory, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau and Sokoto. Also, the committee is currently implementing various projects in the 24 states affected by the 2012 nationwide floods.