Dangote Donates ₦50 million To The IDPs

The Insurgency Appeal Fund, sponsored by the American University of Nigeria (AUN) and Adamawa Peace Initiative, its partner organization has received a major boost from Dangote Foundation.
The Foundation, according to a press release signed by AUN and made available to Naij.com, made a donation of ₦50 million to help rehabilitate persons displaced by Boko Haram in the northeast. The One Billion Naira appeal fund was launched in Lagos on October 6.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, after whom the Foundation is named, promised to assist the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Lagos event. The Appeal Fund launch was held at the same time as the launch of the 2015 Banking Sector Report and 20th anniversary of Afrinvest West Africa Limited.  Afrinvest is offering pro bono advisory services to the Appeal Fund.
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According to Dr Margee Ensign, the President of AUN and Chair of API, Thirty-five million naira of the donation will be given in kind; rice, spaghetti, sugar, seasonings, salt, vegetable oil, and 5,000 blankets.
Ensign, who was a keynote speaker at the event dwelt on peace, development, reconstruction and the way forward for northeast Nigeria. She told her audience of the dire situation faced by displaced persons in the northeast.
The partnership between AUN-API have helped thousands of vulnerable Nigerian youth in the areas of education, and development of life skills. AUN-API, Ensign continued, counts among its members prominent Muslims and Christians, traditional rulers, academic and business leaders, NGOs, and other members of the Yola community,  and has the capacity and nimbleness to address the challenges in real time, given adequate access to aid money, food, and other supplies.
“With strong extended family bonding in the local culture, most displaced people now live with relatives rather than in refugee camps. For example, an estimated 405,000 IDPs fled to Yola, yet only 15,000 sheltered in refugee camps. The international aid community, however, is generally ill-equipped and inexperienced in dealing with refugees outside of camps or camp-like settings, people the AUN-API partnership has been able to reach.
 “We know our community and we are in a unique position to bring diverse resources together to find and implement solutions to crises, prevent our youth from succumbing to the temptation to join extremist organizations, and bring stability to the region,” she spoke at the event.
In a related news concerning Boko Haram and Adamawa state. A number of armed men suspected to be members of the Islamist terror group, Boko Haram, on Saturday, October 17, attacked a village in Adamawa state, killing 12 people dead.
Maina Ularamu, the former chairman of Madagali local government area, said the insurgents attacked Dar village in the council at about 8.30pm.
He said: “A large number of gunmen invaded the village, forcing resident to flee to nearby bush. Two female suicide bombers disguised as fleeing villagers detonated explosives in the bush where many people were hiding, killing twelve persons.”