Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has extended a ₦110 million donation to support the families of 22 Kano athletes who died in a tragic road accident earlier this year.
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The spokesperson to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, Sanusi Bature in a press statement revealed that, each bereaved family received ₦5 million through the First Lady’s Victim Support Fund.
The initiative was aimed at providing financial relief and emotional support to the grieving families.
Also, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf announced additional support from the Kano State Government amounting to ₦130 million.
As part of this intervention, each of the 10 injured athletes received ₦2 million and a plot of land, while families of the deceased were given an extra ₦5 million each.
These efforts build upon an earlier state relief package of ₦22 million, which provided ₦1 million to each family of the deceased and ₦500,000 to those injured shortly after the incident.
Governor Yusuf commended the First Lady’s gesture, describing it as a “powerful demonstration of empathy and shared humanity.”
- He emphasized that her contribution had greatly strengthened the state’s response to the tragedy.
Additional support
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Government Donated ₦32 million, Jigawa State Government, ₦20 million, Engr. Sagir Koki ₦2.2 million.
The total, contributions to the victims and their families have reached ₦321.2 million, alongside the distribution of 30 bags of rice and plots of land.
During a special event, the Kano State Accountant General coordinated the disbursement of the funds to the beneficiaries.
To honor the memory of the athletes, Governor Yusuf announced the renaming of the Kano Sports Institute in Karfi to “Kano 22 Athletes Institute.”
For transparency and adherence to Islamic law, the Governor has directed Sharia courts to oversee the distribution of an initial ₦6,709,375 to each of the 22 families, in line with Islamic inheritance procedures.
Speaking on behalf of the victims’ families, Alhaji Baffa Indabawa, chairman of the bereaved relatives, expressed gratitude to both the First Lady and the Kano State Government. He described the gestures as “deeply compassionate and timely in bringing comfort during our period of mourning.”