President Muhammadu Buhari has donated one million US Dollars to the government of the Republic of Turkey on behalf of the people and government of Nigeria.
The President said that the token was given to the the government of Turkey to support the ongoing humanitarian efforts towards cushioning the effects of the tragic earthquake.
Buhari’s special envoy, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, who handed over the President’s letter of Condolence as well as a Central Bank of Nigeria Promissory Note of USD $1 million, for onward transmission to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, conveyed Buhari’s heartfelt condolences on behalf of Nigeria to the Government and people of Türkiye, over the devastating earthquake.
Muhammad Musa Bello, who is the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, Ambassador Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the capital, Ankara.
Buhari’s special envoy was accompanied on the mission by the Nigerian Ambassador to Türkiye, Malam Ismail Abba Yusuf.
The Türkiye Minister of Foreign Affairs welcome Buhari’s special envoy and said that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was unable to personally receive the envoy and his delegate due to exigencies of directly overseeing humanitarian efforts in the eleven quake-hit southern provinces of the country – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.
The Minister thanked President Buhari, the Government and people of Nigeria for the show of solidarity, financial as well as material support to the Republic of Türkiye in its trying times.
He said that the First Lady of Nigeria, Hajiya Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, had earlier donated 10,000 blankets on behalf of African First Ladies Forum to the ongoing Humanitarian efforts in the country.
Ambassador Çavuşoğlu told the Special Envoy that as at 23d February 2023, no fewer than 43,000 persons have been confirmed dead while 14 million people were affected in eleven provinces of the Country. He added that the Government has resolved to embark on rebuilding new Cities with all associated infrastructure in all the locations of the disaster.
The Minister wished Nigeria a successful and peaceful general elections, saying that in compliance with the country’s Constitution, the Government of Türkiye is also committed to conducting its forthcoming general election on June this year, despite the devastating effects of the earthquake.
