The Nigeria Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), an interventionist mechanism in the war against the Coronavirus pandemic currently spreading across the country, on Friday expressed gratitude to institutions and individuals that have donated to the fund.
A statement by Isaac Okorafor, Director, Corporate Communications at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and spokesman of the coalition put the total donations as of Friday, April 17, 2020, at N25.893bn.
Prominent new donors on the list published included Pastor William Folorunsho Kumuyi, General Overseer of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, who contributed N50m on behalf of the church.
Others include Deji Adeleke, Pacific Holding Limited; Rahul Savara of Wacot Rice Limited; Tolaram Africa Enterprise Limited, Bank of Industry BoI) and Friesland Campina WAMCO, each of which donated N500m. Union Bank of Nigeria; Sterling Bank, Standard Chartered Bank; Stanbic IBTC Holdings; Citibank Nigeria Limited, FCMB Holdings, Fidelity Bank Plc; Ecobank Plc; and African Finance Corporation contributed N250m each. Multichoice Nigeria Limited added N200m to the fund; APM Terminal Apapa Limited, N150m; while FSDH and FBN Merchant Bank; Rand Merchant Bank; e Coronation Merchant Bank; Suntrust Bank; Heritage Bank; Providus Bank; Coronation Merchant Bank; and Nova Merchant Bank; among others beefed up the fund with N100m each.
A unique attribute of the breakdown showed that the donations are no longer the exclusive preserves of the country’s billionaires, millionaires, and super-rich, with donations of sums as low as N1.00, N5.00, N10.00 and N1,000.
The statement invited “other donors to consider contributing to this national solidarity to provide not only medical equipment and materials but also to render urgently needed palliatives to the poor and vulnerable segments of our society.”
It restated its “commitment to full disclosure and accountability for all donations made.”