Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has donated ₦110 million to the families of the 22 Kano athletes who lost their lives in a tragic accident earlier this year.
According to a statement on Thursday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Dawakin Tofa, each family received ₦5 million through the First Lady’s intervention under the Victim Support Fund, aimed at easing the burden of loss and supporting their recovery.
“In a matching gesture of empathy and leadership, Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, also provided an additional ₦130 million, with each of the 10 injured athletes receiving ₦2 million and a plot of land while the families of the deceased get an additional N5m each,” Tofa said.
Earlier, the state had offered an initial ₦22 million, with ₦1 million given to each bereaved family shortly after the incident and those injured were given ₦500,000 each.
Yusuf expressed deep appreciation to the First Lady, describing her intervention as “a clear demonstration of compassion, leadership, and shared humanity.”
He noted that her support has significantly complemented the state’s efforts in standing with the victims’ families during their moment of grief.
Other notable contributions include ₦32 million, from the Ogun State Government, ₦20 million from the Jigawa State Government and ₦2.2 million and Engr. Sagir Koki.
In total, the total financial support extended to the victims and their families reached ₦321.2 million, alongside 30 bags of rice and housing plots.
The donations were instantly disbursed by the Kano State Accountant General during a special distribution ceremony.
Yusuf also announced the renaming of the Kano Sports Institute in Karfi to “Kano 22 Athletes Institute” as a lasting tribute to the deceased athletes.
To ensure fair Islamic inheritance distribution, Sharia courts have been assigned to oversee the disbursement of ₦6,709,375 to each of the 22 families for the first trench.
Speaking on behalf of the bereaved families, Alhaji Baffa Indabawa, chairman of the victims’ relatives, extended profound gratitude to both the First Lady and the Kano State Government for what he called “a deeply consoling and dignified response” to their tragedy.
The athletes died in a fatal road crash on Saturday, May 31, 2025, near Gadar Yankifi along the Kaduna-Kano expressway whilst returning from the 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State.
The Punch
