According to reports monitored in Lagos on Saturday, Maduekwe said at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday that Nigeria presented a cheque for US$1.5 million to the UN as an "immediate response."

This, he said, would be followed by medical supplies and relief materials worth S$3.5 million for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

Maduekwe said that he was in New York to present Nigeria's "response'' to the UN chief's global appeal for Haiti.

"We are also following that (the donation) with immediate deployment of 50 volunteers under our Technical Aid Corps. Half of the volunteers will be doctors and the other half will be made up of engineers and nurses.

"We have also indicated our interest to be present at the donor conference which the Secretary-General indicated will come up sometime in the middle of the year," he said.

He added that Nigeria was thinking of expanding its current 121 police officers on the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti.

Maduekwe quoted the UN Secretary-General as having expressed gratitude to Nigeria for being the "first country" to physically hand-over a monetary donation to the world body.

He said that Nigeria would stand with the people of the Haiti in every inch of their long way to recovery.

Maduekwe cited the historic link between the two countries, saying that "as the first black republic in the western hemisphere, Haiti, long before the earthquake, resonates in Nigeria.

"For us in Nigeria, Haiti is a powerful metaphor of the resilience of the human spirit, a powerful symbol of the imperative of beauty and majesty of freedom. It is also an indication that even in dark moments, hope will always prevail," he said.

-APA