ABUJA, JULY 21, 2016 – Victims Support Fund (VSF) says it has so far collected N30 billion of the N54 billion pledged by Nigerians during its inauguration.VSF Executive Director, Dr Sunday Ochoche, disclosed this in an interview on Thursday in Abuja. He said that the Federal Government had fully redeemed its N10 billion pledge while over N20 billion pledged by others was still outstanding.
“A total of about N54 billion was pledged during the inauguration of the VSF; so far, we have been able to collect close to N30 billion.
“So, we have over N20 billion still outstanding to be redeemed.
“At the inauguration of VSF, the Federal Government pledged N10 billion and redeemed N5 billion immediately after the inauguration.
“Former President Goodluck Jonathan promised that by February 2015, the Federal Government will redeem the balance of N5 billion but the promised was not fulfilled.
“When the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari came to power, we went to meet the President with our Chairman, retired Gen. Theophilus Danjuma and drew his attention to the outstanding balance of the pledge.
“There and then, President Buhari directed immediately that the balance of N5 billion should be paid and shortly after that directive, the government fulfilled the promise of giving the balance.’’
He, however, said that VSF had not received any financial assistance from the international community except technical support.
He said that VSF intervention in the North-East focused on three major priority areas — economic empowerment, educational support to children and psycho-social support.
“These have been the three major areas we identifie from the beginning of our intervention and we have done a lot to improve a number of livelihoods of the victims of insurgency.’’
Ochoche said that VSF had provided support to 1,000 women in camps across communities in Maiduguri to be able to start their businesses.
According to him, the 1,000 women were given N20,000 as start-off grant for different types of economic activities, based on the skills VSF identified they had.
The executive director said that the fund would extend such support to additional 6,000 women including beneficiaries from Adamawa and Yobe states.
Similarly, he said that VSF had launched agro-based intervention in a number of areas following the return of some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
He said that the pilot agro-based project was launched in two most affected local governments of Gujba and Gulani, where IDPs were returning due to the stable situation there.
The director said that VSF was also working closely with the state and local government officials to identify the real farmers in the rural areas, to ensure that they benefit from the intervention.
“Now that the security situation has stabilised, people are beginning to return to their localities, we felt that we needed to go into these areas and encourage people to resume agricultural activities.
“We have gone to provide them with agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertiliser, insecticides and cash support, to enable them to begin agricultural activities.’’
He said that the fund was working closely with a committee for IDPs matters in Yobe, headed by the Deputy Governor and Fadama III officials in the state.
Ochoche further said the VSF was also supporting IDPs in Taraba in the area of agriculture, adding that a total of 4,000 households had been engaged.
