TheCable

The American University of Nigeria (AUN) has launched a billion naira fundraising programme aimed at catering to the needs of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Adamawa state.

The 10-year-old university, famed for its academic care for displaced persons (including some Chibok escapees) said the intervention funds would be raised in five tranches over 12 months.

“The insurgency intervention fund is a N1 billion (one billion naira contributory fundraising) programme that is designed to assist in rehabilitating IDPs in violence prone Adamawa State,” Margee Ensign, the university’s president, said.

“The N1 billion intervention fund to be raised in tranches of N200 million (two hundred million naira only) over a 12-month period will seek to reach out to various individuals, local and foreign organisations.”

The purpose of the programme is to raise funds that would be used “to provide housing, food, education, portable water, farming support, and medical facilities”, the university added.

The fundraising is targeted at corporate organisations, high net individuals and persons who are motivated to help rehabilitate Nigerians whose lives have been negatively affected by the Boko Haram crisis.

The donations would be received as direct cash, cheques, online payment channels and short code payments on mobile phones, and can be made to: Account name FPCNL – AUN-API (IDPS) with account number GTB/0172835791

The university, founded in 20015 by former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has also announced the addition of two new scholarship schemes for Nigerian undergraduates.