President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday directed the Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, to facilitate the immediate release of the N5 Billion pledged to the Victims Support Fund (VSF) by the Federal Government since August 2014.
He gave the directive after receiving a briefing from the VSF Presidential Committee headed by Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd.) at the Presidential Villa.
General Danjuma had told the President that out of the N55.92 Billion pledged at the fund-raising dinner for the Fund in August last year, N33.54 Billion was still outstanding, including N5 Billion from the Federal Government.
He said that the VSF currently has N23.33 Billion 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.
President Buhari, according to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, urged the Committee to ensure proper coordination with other government agencies providing support and assistance to victims of terrorism.
The President assured General Danjuma and members of the VSF Committee that his administration was taking proactive steps to defeat terrorism in the country.
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, will further boost ongoing military operations against the insurgents.
Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, Danjuma said: “We briefed President on activities of the Victims Support Fund since inception which was inaugurated exactly one year ago and by coincidence in July making it one full year. We informed President what we have done and what we are going to do in the nearest future.
“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 what he will do to recover the funds pledged by others, he said: “We plead with them quietly but we may also resort to naming and shaming those who have not honoured their pledges.
“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 with 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,” he added
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