Business Day (Nigeria)

Timi Dakolo partners Azeez Amida Foundation to support Bayelsa flood victims

- SAMUEL ESE

Arenowned musician and Bayelsa indigene, Timi Dakolo is making strides in raising funds to aid thousands of victims of the flood in Bayelsa.

This natural disaster, which began in October, has since affected 27 states in 36 states of Nigeria, resulting in the loss of many loved ones, houses and livelihood­s. According to various news reports, the current flooding disaster in Nigeria is the worst the nation has experience­d in a decade. Results show that the flooding has led to the displaceme­nt of about 1.3 million people, 600 deaths, 200,000 damaged homes, and the loss of a wide expanse of farm fields, animals, and valuable goods.

In response to these casualties, Dakalo took to his social media pages, including Twitter and Instagram to spread the word and shed light on the tough times, Nigerians in the various affected states, especially Bayelsa, are going through.

On his Instagram page, he posted a video of the state of Bayelsa with the caption, “Help!! Help is needed urgently. This is my beloved state, Bayelsa State. Every help we can get will be appreciate­d. The living we can still save, and it starts with pooling relief resources together”.

To further contribute to the state’s well-being and fasttrack the provision of basic amenities for the casualty of the floods in Bayelsa, Dakolo also sought out the help of private organisati­ons to distribute relief funds amongst other aids to the people.

The Azeez Amida Foundation heeded the call. The Foundation has partnered with Dakolo to provide aid to about 50,000 victims of the flooding in Bayelsa State. In partnershi­p with Timi Dakolo, Azeez Amida Foundation donated relief materials to support the Bayelsa flood victims with medication­s covering the treatment of malaria, cholera, typhoid, skin infections, cough and allergies. More so, first-aid kits and antiseptic supplies for a better living are also included.

According to Azeez Amida, founder of the Azeez Amida Foundation, “Nigeria’s economy has been through terrible moments in the past years, and inflation has affected people’s cost of living and income levels. The flooding has further wreaked more havoc on an already fragile economy and people, making living even more unbearable.”

In his remarks, Dakolo noted that “The nationwide flooding that has affected 27 of the 36 states in the country is a huge disaster that requires urgent attention. In Bayelsa alone, lives, sources of livelihood­s, and assets have been lost to the floods.”

According to him, “What is more dishearten­ing is the slow and delayed response of the Federal Government to the plight of victims in the state. Therefore, to make a difference in our own little way, we came up with this support initiative to bring support to the victims of the flood.”

Officially, all donations made by the Azeez Amida Foundation were presented to Timi Dakolo at a handover meeting. The distributi­on is set to commence and run throughout November 2022.

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