The Managing Director of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Alhaji Mohammed Goni Alkali, on Thursday, July 4, 2019, led a delegation of the Commission to Taraba State on a working visit.
Speaking when he met with Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku at Government House, Jalingo, Alhaji Alkali said he was in the state to introduce himself and intimate him of the Commission’s activities.
*R-L: Gov Ishaku ( 3rd right), Alhaji Alkali and others during the visit.
Alkali averred that the major mandate of the Commission is to coordinate development in the Northeast in complement to the developmental efforts of states and federal government and pledged that the Commission would not disappoint stakeholders.
*Alhaji Alkali making a speech*
It could be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017, signed into law the establishment of the Northeast Development Commission with the mission to reconstruct the development of the Northeast orchestrated by myriad challenges like insurgency, robbery, kidnapping and others.
Governor Ishaku responding expressed the readiness of his administration to support the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) and advised that they continue with the developmental initiatives of the Presidential Committee on the Northeast Initiatives (PCNI).
He bemoaned the manner at which organizations and government agencies usually abandon development programs based on sentiments of varying degrees hinged on ideology and party differences despite their painstaking efforts towards development.
Governor Ishaku stated that should the six governors in the north east own the Yola Electricity Development Company, there would be effective distribution of power across the zone.
The governor expressed dissatisfaction over seeming sideline of the state government on the Mambilla Plateau project by the Federal government despite his numerous efforts to the completion of the project and decried the depletion of power supply in the country, stressing that it has dropped to 2000MW from 7000MW when he left the ministry of Power.
He also stated that the Kashimbilla power project can serve 3 states if given the necessary attention to function.
Governor Ishaku saluted the courage of the team for visiting the state after years of neglect by some agencies, emphasizing that the Danbaba Danfulani Suntai Airport has now made the state to be accessible and promised to provide the Commission with office accommodation to enable them succeed.
President Muhammadu Buhari on May 8, 2019 inaugurated the Board of the North East Development Commission (NEDC).
The North East Development Commission (NEDC) was established in 2017, after the Bill establishing the Commission was passed by the two legislative chambers. Then, on October 25th, 2017 President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the Bill, then signing it into an Act.
The NEDC is charged with the responsibility to, “among other things, receive and manage funds from allocation of the Federal Account international donors for the settlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, houses and business premises of victims of insurgency as well as tackling menace of poverty, illiteracy level, ecological problems and any other related environmental or developmental challenges in the North-East states”- Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe.
The Act establishing the Commission provides for a Governing Body, comprising of a Chairman; a Managing Director and Chief Executive; three Executive Directors (one from each Member state not being represented by the Chairman of the Board, the Managing Director and the representative of the North-East zone); one person each to represent the six geo-political zones of Nigeria; and one person to represent the Federal Ministry of Finance; and Budget and National Planning.
On January 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari nominated candidates to serve as Chairman and members of the Board of the Commission.
On April 9, 2019, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Major-General Paul Tarfa (rtd) as Chairman of the North East Development Commission (NEDC). Others confirmed are:
- Mohammed Goni Alkali — MD/CEO
- Musa Uma Yashi — ED Humanitarian Affairs
- Mohammed Jawa B. — Executive Director, Admin and Finance
- Umar Maiwada Mohammed — Executive Director, Operations
- Hon. David Sabo Kente — Member representing North East zone
- Asamo M. Mohammed — Member representing North West zone
- Benjamin Adeniyi — Member representing Central zone
- Olawale Osun — Member representing South West zone
- Theo Nkechi — Member representing South East
- Bassey Uke — Member representing South South zone