By Victor Ahiuma-Young

PRESIDENTIAL Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, weekend, announced Thursday next week for a fund raising dinner to kick-start the plan to raise about N100 billion to compliment government’s efforts at bringing succor to the victims of the recent flood disaster in the country.

The Committee, being co-chaired by the business mogul, Aliko Dangote and legal luminary, Olisa Agbakoba, in a statement, said it hoped to bring smiles back to the faces of the displaced persons currently being sheltered in make-shift camps in different parts of the country.

Many Communities were recently ravaged by flood, which killed scores of people, rendered thousands homeless and destroyed billions of Naira worth of farmlands and other property.

It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan had in a nationwide broadcast in the wake of the flood disaster, set up a 36-member relief committee to mobilise funds for the rehabilitation of the victims and galvanise the general public to support the initiative.

President Jonathan, in the address, announced a N17.6 billion relief fund for all the affected states as part of immediate palliative to bringing relief to the affected people and their communities, which National Emergency Relief Agency, NEMA, said spread across 33 states of the federation.

He said the money from the fund would be allocated to the affected states based on the level of devastation, and categorised accordingly from A to D.

The committee, in a letter to the invitees co-signed by Dangote and Agbakoba, urged all to give generously to wipe away tears from the faces of fellow citizens who were victims of the natural rage.

The letter read in part: “In the last few weeks, excessive flooding has ravaged many parts of our country rendering millions of our compatriots homeless, scores of lives lost, property and farmlands destroyed with economic activities in the affected areas seriously dislocated and hampered.

“We are pleased to formally notify you that, in furtherance of our mandate and under the auspices of Mr. President, a fund-raising dinner will take place at 7.30pm on Thursday, November 8, at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Aso Rock Abuja.

“As a good corporate citizen and well-meaning Nigerian, you are cordially invited to attend the occasion and to donate generously to this worthy cause.”