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.
This was disclosed in a press statement issued by the Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati.
It will be 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.
The statement 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.
“Based on the Ministry’s report, President Jonathan has approved the release of funds to nine of the 14 affected states 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
Total – N5,747,694,780.00
Mr Abati further said that President Jonathan directed that an Implementation Committee for the disbursement of the funds to the beneficiaries in the nine states be constituted as follows:
1. Executive Governor or Deputy Governor – Chairman
2. Representative of State Government – Member
3. Secretary of the Sheik Lemu Panel – Member
4. Representative of the OSGF – Member
5. Representative of the FMLH&UD – Member
He said 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.
The presidential spokesman said the funds to cover the losses sustained by victims of the post-election violence in these five states will be approved and released at the conclusion of the assessment exercise.
Deadly election-related and communal violence which occurred in northern Nigeria following the April 2011 presidential voting left more than 800 people dead. The victims were killed in three days of rioting in 12 northern states.
The violence began with widespread protests by supporters of the main opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, a northern Muslim from the Congress for Progressive Change, following the re-election President Jonathan, a Christian from the Niger Delta in the south, who was the candidate for the ruling People’s Democratic Party. The protests degenerated into violent riots or sectarian killings in the northern states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. Relief officials estimate that more than 65,000 people were displaced.
The Federal Government on 11 May 2011 constituted a panel of a group of 22 eminent Nigerians led by Sheikh Lemu to investigate the cause of the post-election violence. The panel submitted its report to the government on October 10, 2011 containing far-reaching recommendations one of which is the payment of compensations to the victims of the post-election violence.
