TY Danjuma to elite: Sell your jeeps, use money for the poor

by Nasir Imam

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Retired General T.Y. Danjuma has called on the elites in the country to sell their jeeps that they do not use and use the money to assist the poor in the society.

Danjuma, who stated  this at the announcement and award to beneficiaries of the T.Y. Danjuma Foundation’s 2012 Grant Cycle in Abuja yesterday, called on top government officials and other wealthy Nigerians to “park their four-wheel jeeps that they do not use and utilize the money for the benefit of the poor in Nigeria.”

He said despite the poor quality of lives in Nigerian communities, philanthropic pace in the country is empty hence the reliance on foreign donors.

Danjuma said that the foundation has so far spent N809 million since its establishment in 2009 and that it has touched the people’s lives in the hard-to-reach rural poor communities in Nigeria.

He said N388 million was disbursed by the foundation to grantees in 2010, N193 million in 2011 and an additional N10 million for discretionary grant to enable the foundation respond to urgent interventions outside of the main grants.Danjuma said that in 2012, 516 applications were received and after a review, 17 were approved under the Foundation’s main grant while the Taraba and Edo Communities Fund each received seven grants.

The 17 approved grants, he said, will be receiving N3-30 million to implement projects in twelve states including Taraba, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo, Zamfara, Bauchi, Gombe and Nasarawa. Others include Kaduna, Niger and Lagos states.

Daily Trust