Get Guardian on GoogleThe Mokwa Flood Relief Support Group has presented cheques to school proprietors for the sponsorship of 88 pupils, victims of recent flooding in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State.
The group also funded skill acquisition training for 41 widows and children in tailoring, catering, and soap-making.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony held at Beyge Primary School, Mokwa, Chairman of the group and retired Assistant Controller General of Customs, Ahmed Nasir, said the initiative was aimed at alleviating the hardship faced by survivors of the disaster.
He noted that the flood had forced many children out of school while widows struggled to fend for their families. “If you educate a child, you educate humanity; if you give food to a widow, you feed a family,” Nasir said.
Nasir explained that the support was funded through donations from indigenes of Mokwa and their friends across the country.
He also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to redeem the Federal Government’s earlier pledge of ₦2 billion, provision of a 15 MVA transformer, and construction of resettlement facilities for the victims.
The Ndalele of Mokwa, Alhaji Muhammadu Shaba Aliyu, commended the gesture, describing it as a major boost to the livelihoods of flood victims. He also urged the Federal Government to urgently redeem its pledges.
Similarly, the Head of the Hausa Community in Mokwa, Alhaji Bala Tanko, represented by Biliyaminu Shahu, expressed gratitude to the group and promised continued loyalty to constituted authorities.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Suleiman Jibrin, Principal of Hakimi Aliyu Secondary School, pledged to ensure the pupils received quality education in line with the sponsorship.
