Musdapha Ilo, in Maiduguri
The Dangote Foundation on Sunday gave a donation of N10,000 each to about 54,000 indigent residents of Borno state to enable them recover from the devastation caused by the activities of terrorists in the area over the past four years.
The foundation, financed by the billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote, is collaborating with the Support for Women, Orphans and Tsangaya (SWOT), a pet project of the wife of Borno State governor, Nana Kashim Shettima, to bring succour and give hope to residents, especially victims who have incurred losses in one way or the other from attacks carried out by terrorists.
Most of the beneficiaries are women who lost their husbands at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency as well as orphans, blind, the crippled and other vulnerable members of the society.
Adhiambo Odaga, the managing director of the Dangote Foundation, said N540million has been earmarked for the rehabilitation exercise that will affect residents in the 27 local government areas of Borno State.
Odaga explained that the sum represents part of a special disbursement of N1.2 billion relief fund meant for Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States which are under state of emergency.
She noted that about 177, 500 women and 19,000 youths in Kano, Kogi, Adamawa and Yobe States have benefited from the programme.
According to her, the micro-grant is part of a national programme instituted by the Dangote Group to provide cash transfers to at least 1,000 poor and vulnerable Nigerians in each of the 774 local government areas of the federation.
“Dangote Foundation’s micro-grants enable recipients to grow or start an enterprise, invest in productive assets, improve the health of their families and or take on new activities that will reduce their vulnerability and enhance the economic standing of their household and communities,” Odaga said.
The flag-off of the cash distribution was monitored by Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, and his wife from the government house in Maiduguri.
The governor expressed gratitude to Dangote for the generous donations and urged benefactors to make good use of the money.