Prior to his visit, Mr Elumelu sent a letter of condolence to President Koroma and considering the gravity of the tragedy, chairman Elumelu and delegation deemed it necessary to come to Freetown to sympathize and show solidarity with the Government and people of Sierra Leone.
On behalf of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, he made a pronouncement of USD$250,000 and another USD$250,000 on behalf of staff, management and directors of United Bank for Africa (UBA) as emergency aid grants for victims.
President Koroma thanked Mr Elumelu and delegation for coming, saying that he was encouraged by the letter of condolence he sent prior to his arrival. The president reported on the ongoing recovery efforts and the commencement of the construction of permanent settlement for the affected persons. The next target he related would have to do with the relocation of persons living in disaster prone areas to avoid future catastrophe. At present, he revealed, 494 bodies were discovered and more are feared to be buried in the mud. He once again thanked Tony Elumelu Foundation for the support.
Before arriving at State House, Mr Elumelu joined President Koroma and former Nigerian president General (Rtd.) Olusegun Obasanjo at the Connaught Hospital where they took stock of the conditions of victims affected by the flooding and mudslides.
