In another rare gesture from a private sector operator to help government in the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons in parts of the insurgency ravaged areas in the North East, the Aliko Dangote Foundation has concluded preparation to commission a multi-billion naira housing estate
Youssoufou, who made the disclosure at an event in Maiduguri, Borno State, stated that the housing units is one of the many critical interventions the Foundation had mapped out for execution in the North Eastern part of Nigeria to restore life to the area and help IDPs live a normal life again.
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, while reacting to this development, said Dangote is the single largest benefactor of the IDPs after the federal and state governments.
The Governor stated that Dangote’s contribution does not only stop at feeding and clothing the IDPs, which he has been doing over the years, it also stretches to resettling and rehabilitating them, a feat no other private organization has been able to match.
Just recently, the Aliko Dangote Foundation flagged off its 2018 Ramadan Food distribution in the state with the distribution of food items worth N150 million to some 200 households from Dalori Community in the state.
The items included Rice, Sugar, Salt, Spaghetti, Semolina, Wheat Meal, Maize and Millet.
He quoted Dangote as saying that Dangote Group had spent well over N4 billion in building classrooms, scholarship programmes and upgrading infrastructure across various University among others.
He said: “We have just recently commissioned the Dangote Business School in Kano, the only Business School in Nigeria that is well equipped. We will also be commissioning similar projects in University of Ibadan, we have done quite a lot in the education system and we are looking to do more.
“Investing in the young people to us means, we are all working together to build a better Nigeria. In equipping Nigeria youths and prepare them for the 21st century challenges, we established the Dangote Academy in Kogi State, which provide specialized training and management skills for the youths particularly considering the large man power needed in the manufacturing industries.
“Our ultimate goal is to promote rapid industrialization of Nigeria, using our own local talents.”
Mora said the intervention by the Foundation was crucial and timely as the University’s infrastructure was already overstretched.
It would be recalled that only recently the Foundation donated a well-equipped secondary school valued at N120 million in Lagos.
The Foundation donated a World Class Business School worth N1.2 billion to the Bayero University Kano, while building another one in the University of Ibadan, which is due for commissioning too.
Funding was also provided for the construction of a 500 capacity student hostel complex of the University of Science and Technology, Wudil in Kano.
The Aliko Dangote Foundation has instituted several scholarship schemes in its business units across Nigeria.
Only last week, the Foundation donated 150 fully equipped patrol cars to the Nigeria Police to aid in combating crimes.
Dangote had said the motivation behind his public spirit gesture was because he does not only want to be “known as the Africa’s Richest Man, but the biggest African philanthropist. I will continue to use my resources and my voice to help shape a better Nigeria, and Africa as a whole.”
