Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has extended a compassionate hand to the families of the 22 Kano athletes who tragically lost their lives in a fatal accident earlier this year, donating a total of N110m under the Victim Support Fund initiative.
According to a statement released Thursday by the spokesperson to the Kano State Governor, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, each bereaved family received N5m from the First Lady’s intervention aimed at alleviating their grief and aiding their recovery process.
In a complementary show of empathy and leadership, Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, also announced a further N130m support package. This includes N5m for each bereaved family in addition to the First Lady’s donation, while each of the 10 injured athletes will receive N2m and a plot of land.
Dawakin Tofa recalled that immediately after the tragedy, the Kano State Government had initially disbursed N22m, granting N1m to each bereaved family and N500,000 to each injured athlete as emergency relief.
Governor Yusuf expressed heartfelt gratitude to the First Lady for her gesture, describing it as “a profound demonstration of compassion, leadership, and shared humanity.” He said her intervention has deeply complemented the state’s own efforts to support the victims and their loved ones.
Other notable contributions came from the Ogun State Government (N32m), the Jigawa State Government (N20m), and a private donor, Engineer Sagir Koki, who donated N2.2m.
In total, the collective financial support for the victims and their families now stands at N321.2m, along with donations of 30 bags of rice and housing plots. The Kano State Accountant General oversaw the immediate disbursement of the funds during a formal distribution ceremony held in the state.
As a lasting tribute to the fallen athletes, Governor Yusuf also announced the renaming of the Kano Sports Institute in Karfi to “Kano 22 Athletes Institute.”
To ensure equitable and lawful distribution of funds in line with Islamic principles, the government has assigned Sharia courts to supervise the disbursement to each family as part of the first tranche.
Speaking on behalf of the bereaved families, Alhaji Baffa Indabawa, chairman of the victims’ relatives, expressed deep appreciation to both the First Lady and the Kano State Government. He described their response as “deeply consoling and dignified,” and a true reflection of solidarity in a time of immense grief.
