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Visits IBB, Abdulsalami
From John Adams, Minna
More donations have continued to pour in for the families of the victims of the Dikko Junction fuel tanker explosion in Niger State, with the latest coming from the wife of the President, Oluremi Tinubu, who donated N100 million to the families of 70 victims of the tanker explosion.
The wife of the President said she was in Minna on a private visit, where she met with the two former military heads of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and General Ibrahim Babangida, both retired, at their uphill mansions.
Her first point of call was the Niger State Government House, where she was received by the state governor, Rt Hon Umaru Mohammed Bago, and other top state government officers, including members of the state executive council.
The First Lady, who was accompanied by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shittima, said her visit to Niger State was a private one.
Making the donation of N100 million, Mrs Tinubu said the money was to alleviate the suffering of the families of the victims after the loss of their loved ones.
“We usually write a condolence letter to the Governor each time we are aware of any challenges in the state, but for this recent one, I knew I had to do something,” she said.
She disclosed that “We are donating N100 million to rehabilitate the families. We are looking at 70 families. Each family will receive N1 million to help them, while the balance will be shared among them for other extra expenses like food items and others.
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“This is to help them so that they won’t feel the disaster and the impact of it. We pray such a disaster will not happen again. We pray that this will be an end to it, so that progress can come in,” she said.
She commended the state governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, for what his administration is doing in the area of agriculture, saying, “You have been doing a lot in agriculture, and you should be proud of yourself. May God help you.”
In response, the Niger State governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, appreciated the wife of the President for her visit and her donation to the victims of the explosion.
He assured that though the distribution of the funds would not be made directly by him but by his wife, there would be an equitable distribution of the funds to the victims.
“This is a consolidation of our relationship as a state and country. We are grateful that you have come to share with us in pain and commiserate with Nigerlites over the losses we have had in recent times, the tanker explosion in Dikko, the dynamite explosion in Magama LG and Mashegu, and the collapsed mines in Shiroro Local Government.
“Though this is not a state visit, it is a personal visit, but we really appreciate you, Ma. Thank you so much for your widow’s mite. She brought N100 million; she said my wife would do the job of the distribution of the victims,” he said.
The First Lady and her entourage later proceeded to the residence of General Abdulsalami Abubakar and later to General Ibrahim Babangida, where she met with the two leaders behind closed doors.
