By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

The management of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) disclosed that it has built ‘mega schools’ in each of the eighteen senatorial districts  in the zones at the cost of N1.2 billion bringing the total cost to N21.6 billion, because most of the schools were targeted and destroyed by the Boko Haram terrorists.

Speaking at the 50th weekly Ministerial  briefing organised by the Presidential Media Team in the State House, Abuja, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEDC, Mohammed Goni Alkali, said this when he gave the breakdown of the commission’s achievements since its establishment in 2017.

Alkali said three bridges in Adama state were constructed, a bridge in Taraba state and roads projects in the zones, adding that they have invested N48 million in cancer research for the people of the region; and built one COVID-19 laboratory in each state of the zones.

Alkali also said that the commission needs about N31.05 trillion for the development of the region, adding that they will raise the funds via a fund raising conference while the states will provide only 20 percent of the fund from the statutory allocations from the federation account.

The Managing Director said NEDC has also executed 620 projects at the cost of N570 billion and in 2020 they have built 1000 houses in line with their mandate to support the victims mostly the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and have donated some agricultural machinery to boost agric development and business activities.

Same School Initiative is a program that we are initiating. In Borno, Admawa and Yobe, some students were selected and sent to schools outside the zones. Some of them have graduated, while other have gotten admission into the university. 

During the last Humanitarian Day, we donated over N3billion to support IDPs living outside the country – Niger Republic, Chad and Cameron, explaining that the commission decided to create Education Endowment Fund with N6 billion, while the commission does its routine activities. 

He said they have also established North East Stabilization and Development Masterplan to align with the development of member state. the plan contains their enterprise value and strategic vision for the commission. 

He said the plan is for 10 years from 2020 to 2030; saying, now “we have a relative peace and the actualization of the Masterplan is achievable.”

Authorities of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) have vowed to resist graft events that have allegedly characterise the operations of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC), as water tight measures have been put in place to insulate the activities of the new regional  commission in the north. 

The Managing Director said allegations of graft had characterised the operations of the NDDC which has continued to remain without a board owing to alleged political influence, making it difficult for President Muhammadu Buhari to order the inauguration of a board whose members were appointed and sent to the senate by him and were screened but yet to be inaugurated almost two years ago.

But reacting to a question on what measures have been put in place to shield the NEDC from corruption, Alkali said the commission was created for a purpose and would ensure judicious utilisation of resources at its disposal and to actualize it’s mandate for the people.

According to him, “this things have to do with institutional issues, individual issues, and so on and so forth. But, in our own case we know that we are created for a purpose, and at the end of the day we  believe that posterity will judge us with what we have done with the mandate given to us. 

“That is why we are very careful and very prudent in seeing that we propose and execute what we can do with the …. available. Sometimes, yes, there could be political pressure, but always in the commission we are bent on following laid down procedures and see that we are guided by what is feasible and what is prudentially possible to achieve. And this is our commitment to the people of the northeast.”

Continuing, the MD vowed to ensure that the commission in the North East under his leadership works hard to protect the resources meant to facilitate the development of the area. 

“We as a team now, we want to ensure that whatever is given to us is being protected for their benefit,” he added.

Briefing on sundry other issues, Alkali lamented the reluctance of some of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the northeast to return to their ancestral homes.

Borno State alone we have about 58 IDPs camps and have spent billions of naira to empower them. We have also done some forms of medical interventions and outreaches to treat these people (IDPs). 

Fielding questions on behalf of the MD, the agency’s Executive Director, Humanitarian Affairs, Musa Yashi, revealed that in the communities torn apart by the Boko Haram insurgency, 20 to 30 per cent of the  displaced persons do not live in camps. 

He said that the IDPs have so integrated with their host communities that they now see no rationale to return to their original settlements, especially as their homes have been destroyed and will take years to rebuild.

Citing the dismal condition of towns across Monguno, he argued that resettlement would require the reconstruction of whole communities; a task so daunting that the NEDC does not have enough funds to undertake at this time. 

Alkali, while speaking, said the Federal Government has concluded the construction of 1,000 housing units as part of the resettlement efforts for millions of the  inhabitants displaced by the 13-year insurgency in Nigeria’s Northeast. 

According to him, the 1000 houses were built in Ngwom, Borno, at the cost of N17.5 billion, saying the mass housing project includes two-bedroom flats built in clusters. The housing units have been handed over to the Borno State Government for distribution.

Continuing, he revealed plans to build 500 housing units in five other affected states.

Alkali also revealed that the NEDC has executed 647 projects ranging from agriculture, health, education, energy/power across 112 local government areas in the northeast, with each Local Government Area (LGA) gulping at least N50 million, accruing to N5.6 billion.

Submitting that the lack of a steady education system in the Northeast has fueled the insurgency, the MD noted that three bridges have been constructed in Kudzum, Dilechim and Wuro-Ngayandi areas of Adamawa State.  

Alkali, explained that the commission has created an Education Endowment Fund with a seed capital of N6bn; and plans to dedicate 10 per cent of its annual allocation to it. 

The NEDC was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017 to coordinate all humanitarian interventions by government Ministries, Departments and Agencies based on the Northeast stabilization masterplan.

To execute its mandate according to the northeast stabilisation and development master plan in the next 10 years, Alkali said the commission requires at least N31.05 trillion.