Buhari’s Envoy Supports Turkey With $1m Over Earthquake

A special mission led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Muhammad Bello, gave a $1 million support fund to the Turkish government.

The Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Mevlüt avuşolu, greeted Bello and other members of the delegation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, Turkey’s capital.

The envoy’s visit comes after the horrific 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6, which killed about 50,000 people, including former Chelsea and Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu.

The special envoy noted that Buhari was unable to personally pay a condolence visit to the country, due to the ongoing general elections.

The minister also handed over the President’s Letter of Condolence and a Central Bank of Nigeria Promissory note of $1,000,000, for onward transmission to President Recep Erdoğan.

He said the token was a donation by the Government of Nigeria to support the ongoing humanitarian efforts in cushioning the effects of the tragic earthquake.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Afairs, in his remarks, explained that President Recep Erdoğan was unable to personally receive the special envoy due to exigencies of directly overseeing humanitarian efforts in the eleven quake-hit southern provinces of the country.

He thanked Buhari and the Federal Government and people of Nigeria, for their show of solidarity, financial, as well as material support to the Republic of Turkey in her trying times.

He noted that the President’s wife, Aisha, had earlier donated 10,000 blankets on behalf of African First Ladies Forum, to the ongoing humanitarian efforts in the country.

Çavuşoğlu added that the Turkish government had resolved to embark on rebuilding new cities with associated infrastructure in locations of the disaster.

The minister, while wishing Nigeria successful and peaceful general elections, reiterated that in compliance with the country’s Constitution, the government of Turkey was also committed to conducting its forthcoming general election holding on June 18, 2023, despite the devastating effects of the earthquake.