By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Food items worth about N200 million have been distributed to no fewer than 371, 000 IDPs in Borno State by the Dangote Foundation.
Chief Executive of the Foundation, Mrs Zouera Youssoufou, who made the donation and distribution of the food materials on behalf of Mr Aliko Dangote, explained that the gesture was part of the organisation’s humanitarian efforts.
“The Foundation is providing food items worth N200 million to support the IDPs in the state. Today, the items the Aliko Dangote Foundation have delivered include: rice, spaghetti, sugar, salt, millet, maize, noodles, semolina and wheat meal,” she said.
Mrs Youssoufou explained that the gesture was an effort aimed at complementing government’s humanitarian intervention to bring reliefs to the victims of insurgency and other Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno state.
She said Mr Dangote had always felt for those in the IDP camps and that the donation became more urgent given that it is Ramadan period.
The business mogul pledged that he would be willing to complement any government efforts designed to ameliorate the suffering of the IDPs anywhere.
“This gesture is in continuation of the Group’s efforts to provide succour to Internally Displaced Persons in Borno State,” she stated.
According to her, the decision to bring down to Borno the food items was the demonstration of the Foundation’s undertaking “to ensure that the IDPs also have a successful Ramadan period just as their other Muslim counterparts in other parts of the world.”
Governor of Borno State, Mr Kashim Shetima, who formally flagged-off the distribution, thanked the Dangote Foundation for its continuous support to people the state, especially to the victims of insurgency.
“Words are not enough to describe how grateful the people of Borno are to Alhaji Aliko Dangote and his Foundation, who has relentlessly come to support and share in our plight in our time of need,” the Governor said.
Adedapo Adesanya