Abuja — The ECOWAS Commission has donated various items valued at $100,000 to the victims of the recent Jos crisis.

In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP by the Commission in Abuja,the Commissioner for Human Development and Gender, Dr. Adrienne Diop, presented the items to Alhaji Alhassan Barde, the Acting Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), who received them on behalf of the victims.

Among the items donated were bags of rice, beans and garri, palm oil, corrugated iron sheets, jerry cans, buckets, blankets and sanitary towels. Dr Diop who represented the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Ambassador Victor Gbeho, said the gesture was part of the commission's effort to mitigate the impact of the crisis on the victims.

She also said it was consistent with the determination of the commission to impact on the lives of those at the grassroots in the ECOWAS region in line with its drive to transform the community into a place where citizens directly enjoy the dividends of integration.

She further noted that while ECOWAS would continue to strive to improve on its modest contribution to disaster victims, it would not relent in its effort to implement its protocol relating to the mechanism for conflict prevention, management, peacekeeping and security.

She commended partners who intervened during the crisis especially the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the National Society of the Red Cross (NSRC) for their marvellous contributions to the success of the handover.