THE Nigerian government has received six million dollars to support the victims of the devastating flood in Borno State.

The fund, from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will also support the nation’s health and agriculture.

This was made known at a meeting between Vice President, Kashim Shettima and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, led by its head of Global Development Programme, Christopher Elias, at the ongoing 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

According to the Vice President, in a statement by his spokesperson, Stanley Nkwocha, the Nigerian government is dedicated to tackling major challenges facing the country while prioritising the growth of agriculture, health, and nutrition.

“We are deeply committed to addressing the pressing developmental challenges facing our nation, particularly the significant malnutrition crisis.

“We recognise the critical importance of food security and industrial agricultural development. The cassava accelerator programme, in particular, holds immense potential for our economy.

“We are pursuing a whole-of-government approach to digitisation and data exchange systems, which we believe will revolutionise our public services,” he said.

The ICIR reports that in addition to the six million dollars donated to the flood relief in Borno state and Nigeria’s health and agricultural sectors, the Foundation gave an additional five million dollars to Lagos Business School and for the development of industrial cassava.

The Foundation expressed deep concern over the devastating flood in Borno State while promising to support Nigeria in times of crisis.

It raised further concerns over the country’s health sector, mostly in the fight against polio.

“We’re impressed by the national task force’s efforts to eliminate variant polioviruses by year-end,” he said.

Also at the meeting were the director of the Nigeria Country Office at the Gates Foundation, Uche Amaonwu, deputy director, programme advocacy and communications, also at the Gates Foundation, Ekenem Isichei, and other top Nigerian government officials.

The ICIR reported how a devastating flood ravaged parts of Borno State, displacing residents and destroying their homes while also displacing animals from the museum.