Dangote seeks aid to combat hunger in IDPs camps

Worried by the reported unhealthy conditions of the Internally Displaced

Persons, IDPs, in various camps across the country, President of Dangote
Group, Aliko Dangote, has called on well-meaning Nigerians to rise up to
the occasion and assist government in ameliorating the situation in IDPs
camps.
According to Dangote, this is the time wealthy Nigerians should stand up
and be counted as thousands of fellow citizens are languishing in the
camps due to insufficient facilities and food items.
The business mogul, who recently donated N2 billion and millions of Naira
worth of food items on behalf of the Dangote Foundation to the IDPs when
he visited some of the camps in Maiduguri in Borno State urged Nigerians
to have empathy for those in the camps.
Speaking during a visit by North East Development Coalition, Chairman of
the Dangote Foundation said he was saddened by the reports of deaths
and malnutrition in the camps, noting: “We cannot open our eyes and
allow our fellow citizens continue to suffer like this for no fault of theirs.
We need to partner with government and help those in the camps.
“It is obvious government alone cannot cater for this people, not even at
this time when there is a paucity of fund. These people need our help and
with what God has provided for us we need to help them”, he stated, while
describing the situation in the entire North East as requiring huge
humanitarian assistance.
Within a spate of five years, the total amount donated to various camps of
IDPs, across the country by the Dangote Foundation has grown
significantly to N6.3 billion.
N364 million was donated to IDPs in Kaduna, Bauchi and Gombe states
after the post-election violence in 2011 rendered many homeless while in
another breath the sum of N100 million and N60 million were respectively
donated to victims of flood disaster in Lagos and Oyo State in 2011.
Dangote Foundation donated N2.5 billion in 2012 to IDPs affected by the
flood disaster across 22 states of the federation and N39.34 million to
those IDPs displaced by the communal clash in Benue state in 2014.
While N42.5 million was used in feeding 5000 IDP households across
Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states last year, N100 million and N50 million
were respectively contributed to the Appeal fund raised by Daily Trust
newspapers to cater for the IDPs in the Northeast and to support the
Adamawa Peace Initiative all for the IDPs. The sum of N1 billion was also
recently pledged to Victim Support Fund for IDPs across the Northeast.
Dangote promised the Coalition that he would do everything within his
power to assist the IDPs and improve their suffering. He also made a
commitment to end malnutrition and hunger in the camps and other parts
of the country.
He said: “The first major challenge is the physiological needs of these
people, and food, nutrition rank right on top of that ladder. So we will first
make serious effort to ensure that hunger is eliminated from the IDP
camps and thereafter, we will begin to make effort to create jobs and
boost entrepreneurship.
“The effort to create jobs and boost enterprise in this case will not be
about making money or returning investment, rather it will be primarily to
create opportunities for the people,” he said.
Also speaking during the visit, the Executive Director of Dangote Group,
Halima Aliko-Dangote, assured them that Dangote foundation will live up
to its promise of supporting them and meeting them at their point of
need, praying that their travails will soon be over.
She stressed that her father, apart from the direct support he would be
giving to the people, would also pull his partners and contacts in the
private sector to collaborate and support the people of the state.