TY Danjuma? N1.7bn! Aliko Dangote? N1bn! Tony Elumelu? N2.5bn! See how much Nigerian billionaires raised for Boko Haram victims yesterday

by Kolapo Olapoju

Chibok mothers

At the fund raising dinner for the ‘Victims Support Funds’, held last night, 31 July, at the Banquet Hall of the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, an estimated N60 billion was raised, according to state radio service, Voice of Nigeria.

The victims support funds’ was recently inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan to cater for the victims of Nigeria’s terror attacks, and the committee for the fund is chaired by Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd).

Several notable Nigerians supported the cause by donating large amounts, some of which are Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote who donated N1billion while Zenith bank Chairman, Jim Ovia pledged the same amount.

Leading by example, head of the fund, TY Danjuma pledged $10miilion (N1.7billion), while saying that the money donated should not be used to fight Boko Haram, but for the specific purpose of aiding the victims of terror. He said, “this fund is not meant to fight terroists but to support victims of terror”.

Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu made the biggest statement of intent on the night by pledging to donate a sum of N2.5billion.

Meanwhile, President Jonathan revealed that a doctor from Aba sent him a bank draft of the token sum of N5,000. He said, “Dr. Uchenna Kalu a citizen in Aba sent a bank draft of N5,000 as his contribution to the Victim Support Fund. His action touched me very much.”

The president had earlier enjoined Nigerians to support the fund with donations, saying, “for those who have been victims, they need comfort. They need succour. We cannot replace the life of a child that has been snuffed out. We cannot replace the lives of men and women who have been killed. We cannot return broken limbs to their original state. We cannot take away the trauma that people have been put through.

“Their memories are scarred, some for the rest of their lives, over what they knew nothing about. The best we can do in this circumstance is to offer them a shoulder to lean on and to stretch out our hands of fellowship to them and tell them we feel their pains and share in their sorrow” the president said.

Comments (3)

  1. Very good course for funds for a good cause, but the funds should please be used for the supposed cause.

  2. DONATIONS FOR OUR INCAPABILITIES!
    Once upon a time, in a Chameleon city of Africa, where truth is scarce and deceit is in abundance, the king of the land called his chiefs and nobles for donation to relieve victims of human disasters and havocs that befell them in the land. The foundation of this great city was good and beautiful. The land was flowing with milk and honey, there was peace and unity in the land and it was the best choice for foreigners who want to invest.

    But there arose in the Chameleon city of Africa, leaders who had no feelings for their subjects. They plundered the land and divided the spoil among their chiefs and nobles till the point whereby the rich get richer and the poor, poorer everyday. There was scarcity of food and basic amenities in the land. Though the land is very rich with several resources but the the inhabitants of the land still languished in poverty.

    POVERTY has driven the youth of the land to indulge in divers kind of crime ranging from armed robbery, kidnapping, oil bunkering, terrorism, internet scam and many other. Some poverty ridden youths are ready to die for a little piece of silver given to them by blood loving nobles. They have killed several innocent lives in their foolish ideology that they will be rewarded greatly in heaven. Two hundred and thirty four (234) school girls were kidnapped in the Chameleon city of Africa for more than 100days and everything seems to be alright.

    Recently, there was a murder attempt on one of the nobles who is also interested in the pot of soup that belongs to the land. He narrowly escaped death even though about eighty two (82) innocent citizens died in the saga. The best statement the king of the land could say is that ‘the death of noble Buhaze would have been a total loss to the land’. The lives of common men who died in the blast amount to nothing but a thrash to the king of the land. Who will bother about these wasted lives? No one knows their names nor the positions they occupied. They can die as long as they are nonentities in the land, who cares?

    The king of the land is confused and unperturbed about solving the problems of the land. He sees his ‘enemies’ at work all the time. ‘They want to frustrate my administration’ he often lamented. The king has called to the foreign nations to come and clean the mess he created with his chiefs and nobles but the foreign nations could not render any help. Violence, bloodshed and kidnapping ravage the land like a thirsty fire devouring innocent lives with no one to quench it. The king of the land is only concern about how he will not lose the pot of soup that belongs to the land into another hand.

    The king of the land therefore called to his chiefs and nobles out of fear of losing his seat to his enemies. He addressed them thus:
    ‘My chiefs and nobles, I greet you. I have invited you to my villa to share with you the troubles in my heart. You are all aware of the challenges that is confronting our land. How lives of people are lost everyday and the kidnapped of these young school girls that has become a global uproar. You all know that I love my life so much and I can’t risk it by going to CHIMBULK and SAMBA forest in search of these girls. The inhabitants of the land are gradually losing their trust in me and they may refuse to cast their votes for me in the next contest. The reason why I have called you is to deliberate on how we will take this reproach of our incapabilities in bringing back these girls and putting a stop to the insurgents that suck innocent blood every time away. I want us to make donations for our incapabilities. I want us to donate at least fifty (50b) billion pieces of silver to these victims of human disasters even though we know that it will not solve their problems. By doing these, I will buy back my integrity and trust from the people. Then, the pot of soup of the land will remain in my hand for another four years and you will all retain your different positions as my chiefs and nobles. I want you to give benevolently and cheerfully. Remember that we all ate from this delicious pot of soup, and I have given all of you fat portions from it. Please donate with an open heart, even if it is bones that you can give, they will appreciate it’.

    After the speech of the king, they were all pleased and decided to donate for their incapabilities.

    On the day of this donation, the king of the land was standing with the M.C and monitoring every piece of silver that was donated. Nobles from the three prominent tribes of the land were called upon to start the donation. Noble Dankuma from one tribe donated one billion pieces of silver, noble Tonix Emilalala donated 2.5 billion pieces of silver and the third noble from the other tribe also donated one billion pieces of silver. After these three donors, other chiefs and nobles also donated their quota. At the end of the donation, a total sum of Fifty-eight billion, seven hundred and ninety million pieces of silver was received from the chiefs and nobles of the land.

    I was so disappointed by the songs, praises, drumbeat and dance of shame the inhabitants of the land poured on the king, his chiefs and nobles. The pictures of the king with his chiefs and nobles covered the pages of the newspaper and magazines of the land. The television, internet and other electronic devices transmitted their clever game. Yes, it is working! Is it not working? The king has successfully drawn the heart of few of the citizens back to himself. He has achieved a platform to contest. He has updated his C.V for the next political campaign.

    Even if few people are deceived, should we all be deceived? It is good to donate generously towards the relieve of the victims of terror but this is like pouring water into an open basket, all will be wasted. It is foolish to give any relief when the insurgents that bring these disasters and lost of lives are still in operation. They will surely strike again and many lives will be lost and injured. Is the king going to raise another 58 billion pieces of silver till all the inhabitants of the land are no more?

    It is cowardice to dodge one’s responsibility as a leader. It is unpatriotic for a leader to cover his incapabilities with fruitless donations. I challenge the king of the Chameleon city of Africa to take the bull by the horn. I challenge his nobles and chiefs to stand up to their responsibilities. Your generous donations cannot relieve anything when POVERTY and LACK are still reigning in our land. You have more than enough pieces of silver in your Treasury that can make life better for common men. Create jobs, employ youths, provide constant electricity and good roads with other basic amenities of life, be transparent and loyal, be selfless and loving, then life will be better for all and violence shall become history in our land.

    The best way to bring true relief is not by fruitless donations to cover one’s incapabilities but by standing to one’s responsibility and taking the bull by the horn. Be TRANSFORMED!

    …….SAP.

  3. nice one for our leaders..but here is the problem. will the money be shared appropriately among the people it was donated for or will they share it among the community chiefs and political heads because that’s a huge some of money…help and build a transparent naija…@#ernykinz

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