President Bola Tinubu has announced the establishment of a disaster relief fund in Maiduguri, Borno State, to assist Nigerian people devastated by floods and other catastrophes.
When he visited Borno to offer his condolences to the government and people over the recent flooding caused by the Alau Dam, he made this announcement at Government House.
President Tinubu said the relief fund was already necessary because the country’s climate is becoming more unpredictable and many areas are susceptible to whims. He also urged the commercial sector to donate to the fund.
Accompanying Tinubu on the visit was Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who stated that the National Assembly would work with the executive branch to create the Fund.
Tinubu also visited the Shehu of Borno, an Internally Displaced Persons camp at the Government Secondary School in Maiduguri, and had a drive-through of the disaster-affected areas.
President Tinubu in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, was quoted as saying, “After my visit to the Shehu of Borno and the IDP camp, I have been reflecting on how to tackle this kind of disaster and the effects of climate change.
“There must be a disaster relief fund. I will invite the private sector to team up with us and help rebuild the affected areas.
“If we take a small percentage from FAAC and put it as disaster relief fund, which will include all of you, we will be activating and strengthening our sense of belonging,” he said.
The President expressed gratitude to the governors of Kwara State, Bauchi State, Sokoto State, Ahmed Aliyu, Kogi State, and other states for their willingness to put aside party lines and shoulder the burdens of others. Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum.
