From Paul Orude, Bauchi
The North East Youth and Elders Peoples Forum has commended the North East Development Commission NEDC, headed by Mohammed Goni Alkali, for executing qualitative projects in several communities in Gombe State.
Chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Salisu Magaji , stated this in a press release issued following the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of 500 Mass Housing Units in Gombe State, on Wednesday, October 6, 2021.
He said that the projects executed by NEDC in Gombe State, have impacted positively on the lives of people.
Magaji, explained that the NEDC projects sited across different communities in Gombe State were causing excitement among members of benefiting communities, because the projects addressed their most pressing needs.
‘The projects are physically for anyone to come and see and even to touch and feels it, they have been completed awaiting commissioning,’ he stated.
‘They included Gombe – solar installation at Specialist Hospital , Kaltungo – Snake Anntivnum, Billiri – Farm Service Center at Ladoungur, Akko – Farm service center at Kalshingi , Kwami – Farm service center at Dukul and Dukku – Farm service center at Dukku.
‘Others are Balanga – Farm service center at Gelengu, Funakaye – Renovation of PHC at Bodour, Ashaka Gari, Abuja, Nafada – Renovation of PHC at Gadi, Shaganawo, Tashan kalgo .Yemaltu Deba – Renovation of Junior Staff Quarters at CGSS Dadin kowa and in (XI).Shongom – Upgrade of PHC to cottage hospital’
Magaji said that since it was established, NEDC has awarded contracts for the construction of 3000 projects, as part of its effort to bring succour to the people of North East .
‘1000 unit building was completed in Borno State, while construction of 500 houses each was awarded in Yobe, Bauchi ,Adamawa and Gombe on Wednesday 6th October 2021,’ he said
This is in addition to the flagging off of the distribution of food and Non-food items to address the rapidly deteriorating food insecurity situation in the North East Region especially in Gombe State.
While in Gombe, the Commissioning and handing over of Gombe – sola installation at Specialist Hospital Gombe and in Kaltungo – Snake Anti-venom would address the problem of electricity and cater for the high incidences of Snake bites and other associated incidences in the State.
‘The Commissioning/Handing Farm Service centers in the following places Billiri – Farm Service Center at Ladoungur, Akko – Farm service center at Kalshingi , Kwami – Farm service center at Dukul , Dukku – Farm service center at Dukku , and .Balanga – Farm service center at Gelengu, Ashaka Gari, would boost farming activities in the areas,’ he stated.
‘The NEDC also Commissioned the Primary Health Care constructed to provide more access to health facilities in Nafada, renovated PHC at Gadi, Shaganawo, Tashan kalgo, Shongom – Upgraded of PHC to cottage hospital and Yemaltu Deba – Renovation of Junior Staff Quarters at CGSS Dadin kowa’
The NEDC was established to address developmental challenges in the northeast region and to restore means of livelihood of the people, following the effects of over 12 years-long insurgencies as a result of activities of Boko Haram in the region.
‘The effects of insurgency led to a massive influx of people into the urban areas with most of them taking shelter at any available public spaces, homes, Schools, huts, abandoned and uncompleted buildings, while many trooped to neighboring North eastern States, hundreds settled in the Internally Displaced Persons IDP camps across the States,’ Magaji stated.
‘The commission was established with mandate for rehabilitation and reconstruction of destroyed homes and commercial premises of citizens in the Region.
‘The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of NEDC, Mohammed Goni Alkali when he assumed duty carefully studied the situation and came up with so many reliable plans in order to ameliorate the hardships being encountered by the citizens.
‘Investigations by experts revealed that the stock of houses in the northeast states before the insurgency was about 4 million, out of which over 500,000 structures (houses and commercial premises) were destroyed or irreparably damaged, which Even before the insurgency, there was a Housing deficit in all the States of the Region.
‘Therefore, the insurgency only further aggravated the situation. In all of this, Borno State being the epicentre of the crisis is worse affected with the largest number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),’ Magaji disclosed.
‘You would recalled that sometimes in 2019, because of the confidence he has on Dr Alkali, President Muhammadu Buhari approved a special Presidential intervention in Borno State (SPIB) in order to reduce the desperate situation that displaced communities in the state had found themselves through the construction of 10,000 houses and the establishment of Technical and Vocational Skills Acquisition Centres for the IDPs amongst others, execution of the SPIB, it was resolved that the NEDC undertakes the construction of the first 1,000 houses and fully funded the equipping of the Technical and Vocational/Skills Centres around the State.
‘Dr Alkali constructed the first 1,000 Houses at Ngowom Village, Mafa Local Government of Borno State and handed over the Houses to the Governor of Borno State, Professor Baba Gana Umara Zullum.
Alkali delivered a town with all social amenities, these are all the efforts of the Commission to reflect on its mandate, and the decision to replicate same in the other five states of the region by the construction of 500 houses in each state.
Alkali started the construction of 500 houses to other States in the North East when he strated with Yobe where he performewd the ground breking ceremony of building 250 houses; in Damaturu, in Buni Yadi, 50 houses; in Geidam, 50 houses; in Potiskum, 50 houses; in Gashua, 50 houses; in Nguru, 50 houses’