- Remi Tinubu Supports Families of 22 Late Kano Athletes with ₦110m Donation
- Abba Kabir Yusuf, Kano state Governor also provided an additional ₦130 million
- Sharia courts have been tasked with managing the disbursement of ₦6,709,375 to each of the 22 families
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has donated ₦110 million to the families of the 22 Kano athletes who tragically lost their lives in an accident earlier this year.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Dawakin Tofa, Eko Hot Blog gathered that each bereaved family received ₦5 million through the First Lady’s intervention under the Victim Support Fund, which aims to lessen the burden of their loss and assist in their healing process.
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“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, disbursing ₦1 million to each family of the deceased and ₦500,000 to each injured athlete soon after the incident.
Governor Yusuf extended deep appreciation to the First Lady, describing her intervention as “a clear demonstration of compassion, leadership, and shared humanity.” He noted that her contribution had significantly bolstered the state’s efforts to support the affected families during their time of grief.
Additional donations included ₦32 million from the Ogun State Government, ₦20 million from the Jigawa State Government, and ₦2.2 million from Engineer Sagir Koki. In total, financial support to the victims and their families reached ₦321.2 million, along with 30 bags of rice and several housing plots.
The Kano State Accountant General oversaw the immediate disbursement of funds during a special distribution ceremony.
As a lasting tribute to the deceased athletes, Governor Yusuf announced the renaming of the Kano Sports Institute in Karfi to “Kano 22 Athletes Institute.”
To ensure fair distribution of inheritance in accordance with Islamic law, Sharia courts have been tasked with managing the disbursement of ₦6,709,375 to each of the 22 families in the first tranche.
Speaking on behalf of the bereaved families, Alhaji Baffa Indabawa, chairman of the victims’ relatives, expressed 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 on the Kaduna Kano expressway while returning from the 2024 National Sports Festival held in Ogun State.
