Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu, others raise $2.2 million for flood victims

Nigerian billionaire businessmen Abdul Samad Rabiu and Aminu Dantata have joined other notable individuals and companies in raising up to N1 billion ($2.25 million) for the victims of the recent flood in Jigawa, one of Nigeria’s 36 states in the country’s north.

Rabiu, the founder of BUA Group, one of Africa’s fastest expanding manufacturing conglomerates, donated N200 million ($452 million) to flood victims, as did Dantata, a notable businessman and manufacturer.

The donations made in Dutse, Jigawa’s capital city, at a fundraising event in support of flood victims were joined by a N250 million ($565,000) commitment from the state government and a N25 million ($56,500) donation from the state’s governor, Muhammad Badaru.

Dantata, who was represented by Salisu Sambajo, voiced worry over the conditions of the flood victims following the calamity. The prominent businessman prayed for those who drowned in the calamity and expressed sympathy for those who lost property and crops in the floods.

Badaru praised the businessmen for their generosity and asked the fund-raising committee to be fair and just in distributing the palliatives and cash.

Nigeria’s flooding in 2022 is the country’s worst since 2012. In October, the country’s humanitarian affairs minister estimated that more than 3.2 million people had been affected, with over 600 people murdered. About 50 people have died in Jigawa, and over 3,000 have been displaced by the flood.

Rabiu’s participation in the fundraising comes after his philanthropic organization, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa), established the N10-billion ($23.8 million) Nigeria Security Support Fund.

The fund is the largest single donation to a philanthropic cause made by a Nigerian businessman, and it comes on the heels of Rabiu’s $3-million development initiative in Niger three weeks earlier through ASR Africa.

ASR Africa is a nonprofit foundation established by Rabiu in April 2021 to support long-term, impact-driven solutions to developmental concerns affecting health, education, and social development throughout Africa.