Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has extended a ₦110 million donation to the families of 22 young athletes from Kano State who tragically died in a road accident on May 31, 2025, while returning from the 2024 National Sports Festival held in Ogun State. Each bereaved family received ₦5 million through the Victim Support Fund initiative.
In a further show of solidarity, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf contributed ₦130 million. This includes ₦5 million each to the deceased athletes’ families, ₦2 million each to the 10 injured athletes, as well as a plot of land per injured athlete. The Kano State Government had previously disbursed ₦22 million shortly after the accident.
Additional donations came from other sources: ₦32 million from the Ogun State Government, ₦20 million from the Jigawa State Government, and ₦2.2 million from Engr. Sagir Koki. The total financial support has reached ₦321.2 million, alongside 30 bags of rice and land allocations.
To ensure transparency and adherence to Islamic inheritance law, Kano State has involved Sharia courts in managing the initial ₦6.7 million payouts per family. As a permanent tribute, the Kano Sports Institute has been renamed the Kano 22 Athletes Institute.