Nigeria's donates $5 million to UN Tsunami Relief Fund

President Olesegun Obasanjo of Nigeria today donated $5 million to the United Nations Tsunami Relief Fund in a move that was immediately hailed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

“The Secretary-General feels that this donation from developing country for the benefit of the many victims of last year's tsunami is a laudable example of international solidarity,” a spokesman for Mr. Annan said in a statement released in New York, where the two leaders are attending the General Assembly’s annual debate.

The money came from voluntary contributions from the Nigerian people, according to the statement.

Mr. Annan “was also pleased to learn that the Nigerian Government had already donated $1 million towards relief for victims of hurricane Katrina in the United States,” the spokesman said.