Goodluck Pays 9 States N5.7b Over Election Violence

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has approved the release of a total sum of N5,747,694,780.00 to nine states of the federation for direct disbursement to those who suffered losses of properties, means of livelihood and places of worship in the post election violence of 2011.

Announcing this to State House correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, recalled that following the post election violence and civil disturbances in some states after the April 2011 elections President Jonathan set up a Panel of Enquiry headed by Sheik Ahmed Lemu to among other things, identify the spread and extent of losses suffered across the country.

He said following the submission of the Lemu Panel’s report and its adoption by the Federal Executive Council, the Federal Ministry of Lands and Housing was mandated to assess the reported losses and damage to properties in all affected states.

According to him, based on the Ministry’s report, the President approved the release of funds to nine of the 14 affected states totaling N5,747,694,780.00.
The breakdown is as follows:

1. Bauchi -        N1,574,879,000.00

2. Sokoto       -  N55,888,506.00

3. Zamfara     - N93,253,485.00

4. Niger          - N433,375,875.00

5. Jigawa        - N208,667,634.00

6. Katsina       - N1,973,209,440.00

7. Kano          - N944,827,000.00

8. Adamawa   - N420,089,840.00

9. Akwa Ibom - N43,504,000.00

Abati revealed that the President Jonathan has also directed that an Implementation Committee for the disbursement of the funds to beneficiaries in  the nine states be constituted with Executive Governor  or Deputy Governor as Chairman while members will include Representative of State Government, Secretary of the Sheik Lemu Panel, Representative of the OSGF and Representative of the Federal Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development.

He explained that inspection and assessment of damages and losses suffered are yet to be carried out in Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Kaduna and Nasarawa states as modalities and further instructions for the exercise are still being expected from the state governments.

‘Funds to cover the losses sustained by victims of the post election violence in theses five states will be approved and released at the conclusion of the assessment exercise,”  he said.