The Swiss Federation has donated €1.2 million (euros) to the Borno State Flood Disaster Relief Fund to provide much-needed support to the victims of the flood disaster in the state.
The donation was announced by the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Nicolas Lang, who led a delegation of the Swiss Embassy on a sympathy visit to the Borno Government House, Maiduguri, the state capital.
Mr Lang was accompanied by Nicolas Martin-Achard, the Senior Humanitarian Advisor, and Florent Geel, the Senior Political Advisor at the Swiss Embassy.
The ambassador said that Switzerland had supported the Borno Model in 2023 with about $700,000 (USD).
“This contribution has been fully implemented in due time and purpose.
“The Borno Model is a programme for the mass exit of armed Boko Haram insurgents and civilians trapped in the lines of conflict.
“These donations in 2023 and 2024 demonstrate Switzerland’s continued support and solidarity with the Borno State Government and the people of Borno affected by the crises,” said Ambassador Lang.
Responding, Governor Babagana Zulum thanked Lang and his team for taking time out of their busy to pay the sympathy visit to Borno State and the Swiss Federal Government for the generous donation to the affected flood victims.
He said, “On behalf of the Government and the good people of Borno, let me express our profound gratitude to the Swiss Government for this generous donation.
“We are equally grateful to Ambassador Lang and his team for the sympathy visit. Rest assured, the donation shall be judiciously utilised under my watch.” said Mr Zulum.
NAN reports that flood waters displaced more than one million people in and around Maiduguri, which serves as the hub for the responses to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast, in one of the worst floods.
Thousands of homes were engulfed by rapidly rising waters after a dam burst following a weekend of torrential rain in northeastern Nigeria.