As part of its mandate to set the North-east States on the path of development and ameliorate the suffering of the people from the insecurity that ravaged the region, the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has concluded Stakeholders Consultative Meetings of the six States in Taraba State.
The meeting which was on the North-East Stabilization and Development Master Plan was held in Jalingo, the capital city with stakeholders in attendance that comprises MDAs, LGA Officials, Security Agencies, Legislature, Judiciary, CSOs, Traditional and Religious leaders, Women and Youth groups among others.
Speaking at the occasion, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Alhaji Muhammed Alkali informed the gathering that the NEDC is committed to alleviating poverty and creating prosperity in the North-Eastern States that were affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Represented by his Deputy, Prof. Bobboi Umar, Alkali noted that the Master Plan is aimed at promoting and facilitating the physical as well as the socio-economic development of the region.
According to him “the North East Stabilization and Development Master Plan will guide the commission’s functions, programs, projects and schemes to reintegrate the zone.
The Managing Director, also explained that the Commission had conducted a survey and held consultations with individuals and groups across six states of the region for proper identification of specific needs and assessments of plans in those states which will be harmonized into the master plan, and urged participants to share insights that will engender the development of the region.
“In the next two months, we will print out the master plan the way it is and call those stakeholders again, but this time around the meeting which will be the last will be held in Abuja where we will show every state what we had gathered for them to make an amendment where necessary, then from there, we will implement the plan.” Alkali revealed.
Alhaji Muhammed Alkali, however, acknowledged the support and cooperation of the Taraba state government in implementing programs and policies of NEDC domiciled in the state, while he sought more support from the States Governors and other stakeholders for smooth implementation of the master plan.
In his presentation, the lead consultant Dr. Kassim Gidado who presented an overview of the master plan said the Northeast Region of Nigeria has been seriously affected by the Boko Haram Insurgency and other related conflicts which resulted in a threat to education, health, and social amenities as well as toads infrastructures and wellbeing of the people.
In a remark, Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku who was represented by the State Head of Civil Service, Suzy Nathan commended the harmony, collaboration, and cooperation among the governments of the region as well as the NEDC since its inception, especially in sectors like mass housing, education, health, wash, agriculture and the youth employment in ICT as well as Mayo-das bridge among many other special interventions that made a huge positive impact on the lives of the people of the state.
The Governor, however, reiterated his administration’s commitment to continue to partner with the North-East Development Commission for the development of the state.
In separate interviews, some participants, including Dr. David Ishaya who is the Taraba State Commissioner for Agriculture, the Taraba State Chairman of Civil Society Organizations, Dr. Joseph Gimba, and Hon. Happy Shonroba as well as Barrister Comfort Jibo, all described the move by the NEDC as a welcome development and reminded the commission of the request that was made by the state ministry of agriculture through them for the colleges of agriculture in the region to be benefiting from the TETFUND projects.
Sani Sulaiman
