ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Head of Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi, to facilitate the immediate release of the N5bn pledged by the Federal Government since August 2014 for the Victims Support Fund (VSF).
This is even as the chairman of the Victims Support Fund committee, General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), has disclosed that out of the N55.92 billion pledged at the launch last year July, only N23 billion has been redeemed, while N33.54 was still outstanding, adding that the committee would embark on name-and-shame soon if all else fails.
The Goodluck Jonathan administration had July 31st last year launched the fund in its quest to raise funds to rebuild areas destroyed by terrorist sect, Boko Haram as well as rehabilitate victims displaced.
Jonathan had personally served as master of ceremony at the fundraising ceremony and led the donors by donating N10 billion on behalf of the Federal Government, adding that the fund would go a long way in providing succour to the victims.
President Buhari gave the directive after receiving a briefing from the Danjuma committee at the Presidential Villa.
He urged the committee to ensure proper coordination with other government agencies providing support and assistance to victims of terrorism.
Buhari assured the VSF Committee that his administration was taking proactive steps to defeat terrorism in the country.
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He said that despite the challenge of acquiring much needed strategic equipment and weapons to confront the terrorists, the Nigerian military has recently gained much ground in its effort to defeat and degrade Boko Haram.
He added that the full deployment of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), under the auspices of member-states of Lake Chad Basin Commission, would further boost ongoing military operations against the insurgents.
Danjuma had earlier told the President that out of the N55.92 Billion pledged, N33.54 billion was still outstanding, including N5bn from the Federal Government.
He said that the VSF currently has N23.33bn in four bank accounts and that the Committee received approval from the immediate past administration to incorporate the fund into a Trust Fund, to “insulate it from political interference”.
General Danjuma had urged the President to use his office to persuade all organizations and individuals to honour their pledges to the Committee.
Speaking to State House correspondents later, Danjuma said, “you know we were launched during the fund raising which took place a year ago, about the total amount of money that was pledged by various contributors was slightly more than N50 billion, of this amount, only N23 billion have so far been redeemed, so there is a lot of money out there.
Of the organisations and individuals, that have not fulfilled their pledges, the Federal Government is one, we are expecting N5 billion from the Federal Government and the President promised today that he would honour the pledge of the Federal Government”.
On efforts being made to get the donors to redeemed their pledges, he said, “we plead with them quietly but we may also resort to naming and shaming”.
On what the committee was doing to sustain the donation to ensure the victims are taken care of, Danjuma said, “We will continue to ask people who pledged to honour their pledges, you the press should assist us in raising the fund , N20 billion is a drop in the ocean compared to the needs and if really the war stops tomorrow, already those displaced are really looking for support to go back to their homes and this N20 billion is nothing”.
