N345m is all we received for IDPs in 5 years

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima


The Borno State Government has debunked allegations that it received billions of cash donations in local and foreign currencies for the management of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), saying that only a total of N345 million had been received by the government in the last five years.

Governor Kashim Shettima stated this while responding to questions by journalists in Maiduguri shortly after his arrival from Abuja yesterday.
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Journalists had sought his response over claims on the social media and a section of the main stream media that the Borno Government received billions of naira in cash donations for IDPs but diverted it for other purposes.
“You see, contrary to wild assumptions that the Borno State Government has received billions of cash donations in local and foreign currencies for the management of Internally Displaced Persons, a lot of Nigerians may be shocked to know that a total of N345 million is the overall amount received as cash donation by our administration from May 2011 to date,” the governor said.
‎He listed the amounts which he said his government received from all sources for the support of IDPS since he became governor in 2011 as the federal government under Goodluck Jonathan, N200m in four years; Lagos State Government, N50m in October 2015; Edo State Government N25m, in 2013; Kano State, N20m in 2013; Adamawa State, N20m in 2013; Ekiti State, N10m‎ in 2013; Osun State, N10m in 2013; Kaduna State N5m, and Unity Bank N5m.
“There is one woman who prefers her name not to be mentioned. She donated N100,000 in cash, bringing the total cash received to N345,100,000,” he said.
‎He said against this sum, the Borno State Government spent N600 million every month to cater for IDPs throughout the Jonathan era, and that apart from the sums donated, all other interventions had been in kind through donation of food items or medical supplies, including 1,200 bags of rice donated by the Kebbi State Government, 5,000 bags of rice from the Ebonyi State Government, three trucks of highland tea from Taraba State, and six trucks of assorted food products from Gombe State in two interventions.
“These were all for IDP interventions from state governments but of course, there have been many other groups who visited and donated food items in the last five years but certainly not cash to Borno State Government,” Governor Shettima explained.
He said his government had also received tremendous support from some parts of the international community but that no foreign country or any international partner gave any cash to his administration from 2011 to date for the purpose of IDPs. “All donations come in materials like medical supplies, technical support and food items, most of which are directly distributed by the international partners themselves to reach IDP’S in different parts of Borno State,” he said.