President, Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has said that the presidential fund raising committee for flood victims and states, he jointly chairs with former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, will raise N100 billion to help flood victims.
The Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation was set up by President Goodluck Jonathan after his nationwide broadcast on Tuesday in which he announced the immediate release of N17.6 billion to flood-ravaged states and some federal agencies to tackle flooding in many parts of the country.
The president on Thursday inaugurated the 34-member committee, saying that their selection was based on merit and their track record of humanitarian assistance to the government and Nigerians.
Speaking at the event, Dangote said many of the committee members would also donate generously to the cause as they were used to making such huge contributions in service to humanity throughout the globe.
He said with top businessmen like him and others in the committee, raising N100 billion for the victims would not be a tough call.
“We are targeting N100 billion minimum. We do not want to look at it as a government issue. For some of us when there were disasters in other countries we helped and so we expect people to help us.
“Government is doing its own; but we as a private sector, we are very serious because we are donating our money out of our own goodwill and I believe Nigerians know that with the calibre of people that we have in the committee, these are people that have actually benefited from Nigeria; without Nigeria we wouldn’t have been where we are today,” Dangote added.
He assured donors that funds channeled through the committee would reach the target beneficiaries.
“We are ready to come out and assist and so if anybody donates his money, he wants to be reassured that his money will be judiciously spent.”
The flood regarded as the worst Nigeria has witnessed in five decades has made several Nigerians homeless.
