Story and pictures by Henry Umahi, who was in Maiduguri
Between December 4 and 6, 2022, the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) organised a three-day capacity building workshop for journalists in the region on reporting conflict – sensitive issues. The event, which held in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, was aimed at training the participants on the content and character of their reports on conflicts in the region.
Dr Nathaniel Danjibo and the Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, Prof Umar Pate, presented papers at the workshop.
The participants were given certificates and working tools to facilitate their performance.
On December 6, the management of NEDC also visited The North-East Children’s Trust School, otherwise known as ‘the learning center’. It’s a school for pupils orphaned by Boko Haram insurgents. Daily Sun was part of the team.
There, the chairman of the NEDC, Maj. Gen. Paul Tarfa (retd) and the managing director, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, gave pep talk to the pupils. They encouraged the children to be serious with their academic activities, assuring them that the future holds so much promise for those who are dedicated to their assignments.
And in furtherance of its intervention and humanitarian activities, the NEDC presented to the school 1000 bags of rice, 1000 cartons of noddles, 200 bags of sugar, 2000 exercise books of 60 leaves, 2000 exercise books of 40 leaves and 2000 exercise books of 20 leaves.
Group Capt Sadiq Garba Shehu (retd), who represented the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadia Umar Farouk, presented the food items and learning materials to the head boy of the school.
Indeed, the NEDC is pursuing its mandate with supreme verve. It has been embarking on soul-lifting projects and reaching out to hard to reach and crisis affected communities to ensure it supports those, who as a result of the current insurgency, could not have access to certain services.
Again, the Commission continues to coordinate, engage and collaborate with relevant stakeholders operating within the zone, in the discharge of its functions. This cooperation enhances its performance.
The various interventions of the NEDC have had a profound impact on the North-East and its people. It has redefined what an interventionist agency should represent, putting smiles on the faces of the people of North-East.
It was gathered that the NEDC has executed more than 224 projects in 112 local government areas across the six North-East states under the Rapid Response Intervention (RRI) as part of the comprehensive master plan to rebuild the region based on the recommendations and demands of the states in the areas of health, education, social infrastructure and agriculture.
Established by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, the Commission is charged with the responsibility of, among other things, receiving and managing funds allocated by the Federal Government and international donors for the resettlement, rehabilitation, integration and reconstruction of roads, houses and business premises of victims of insurgency and terrorism as well as tackling the menace of poverty, illiteracy, ecological problems and any other related environmental or developmental challenges in the North-East states, and for related matters.
The NEDC is indeed a child of necessity. It was established to help rebuild the North-East zone, which has been ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency in the last 13 years and which took the already fragile and poorly performing regional economy into a spiral decline.
Before the advent of the insurgency, the zone’s human development index (enrolment data, child mortality, harmonised test scores, stunting rates, adult mortality, etc.) was among the worst in the country.
So, to deal with the issues, the Muhammadu Buhari administration established the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), through Act No. 7, 2017, as a statutory body responsible for the rehabilitation of the zone on account of the insurgency, as well as for long-term development of the regional economy
The mission of the NEDC is to facilitate a transformative development of the North-East States that would exponentially increase
the economic outputs of the region and lift our citizens out of poverty. While the vision by 2025 is to have become a ‘development agency recognised for its effectiveness in mobilising and
coordinating efforts and resources that deliver measurable developmental impact’. The Commission is supervised by the Federal Ministry Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development with a 13-Member Governing Board.
According to the managing director of the NEDC, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, “the Commission from inception to date has continued to receive funds from its primary streams as provided in the Establishment Act. 10% of the statutory allocation due to member states from the Federation Account.
10% of the Ecological Funds annually for 10 years. 3% of Annual VAT collection as first line charge for 10 years.
“The Act provides for other sources in Section 14 (d-g). However, the Commission has not till date received any funds outside of its statutory funding sources mentioned above. It received the sum of N10 billion as take-off grant at inception from the Federal Government.
The Commission has continued to apply these funds to the items in Section 15(a-d) of its Establishment Act.
“The Commission is mandated under Section 8 (1) (c) the Establishment Act to develop a master plan known as the North- East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan (NESDMP). The Commission operates fully from its headquarters in Maiduguri as well as state offices in all the six states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.”
He explained that the NESDMP guides its functions and activities. He said that since the inception of the NEDC, it has been implementing noteworthy- humanitarian-development – peacebuilding (HDP) nexus projects as provided in the Buhari Plan of 2016 while simultaneously producing the master plan.
The NESDMP aligns with the development plans of member states, sectoral development plans and roadmaps. It contains NEDC enterprise values, vision, mission, and strategic objectives. It also contains NESDMP strategic vision and direction for the North East region as well as the 11 pillars development partners and 529 schemes.
He said that the master plan are in phases and there are NESDMP pillars and sectors: security, peace building, recovery and stabilisation; agriculture, agribusiness and food security; healthcare, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene; education, technical and vocation training.
Others are trade, investment and economic development; MSME, commerce and entrepreneurship; basic and major infrastructure (housing, transportation, telecom, water); Industrialization- oil, gas, energy, power and mining; hospitality, tourism, arts, culture, sports and recreation; environment, ecology, forestry & climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The NEDC has embarked on housing and resettlement projects for victims of the insurgency. It has built 1000 mass housing units in Ngowom, Mafia Local Government Area, Borno State, with facilities as water and electricity. When the reporter visited Ngowom on December 6, there was excitement in the air.
The NEDC also built 500 mass housing units, by pass, Kano Road, Gombe State and rehabilitated the farm centre at Balange – Gelengu.
Other projects either completed or nearing completion include the construction of one mega school in each of the 18 senatorial districts in the North East zone at the total cost of N21.6 billion; establishment of one ICT training centre in each of the 18 senatorial districts in the North East zone to train 10,000 yearly and equip youths with starter packs; establishment of Centre for the Study of Violent Extremism at University of Maiduguri.
Others are funding of research on treatment of cancer with local plants; construction of six molecular laboratories in all the North-East states at the total
cost of N300 million and two Burn Centers in Adamawa and Borno respectively at
the total cost of N140million; empowerment programmes – training of youths in ICT skills, automobile repairs; vehicular diagnostics & maintenance training for 150 beneficiaries at the Digital
Bridge Institute campus in Yola and project management and coordination of multilateral bank projects in the North- East zone.
The projects also involved the revival of integrated agriculture schemes through donation of tractors and farm implements, improved seeds, fertilizer, etc; upgrading/rehabilitation of 10 Technical Skill Acquisition Centres (TSACs) in Adamawa State at the total cost of N265 million
Alkali also disclosed that 3,518 beneficiaries were trained by the NEDC ICT resource centres; 1,800 trained in graphics design across the six states; 1,718 trained in smart phone repairs across the six states and ICT centres in each senatorial zone. 45% of the beneficiaries are females.
Other humanitarian interventions and logistic support to the military/security agencies are provision of food and non-food items; medical outreaches including free surgeries; peace-building initiatives (sulhu project, sports), mine clearance, teacher training; capacity building youths on VSAT installation and repairs; support to Safe School Initiative (SSI) and psychosocial support services.
Others include transitional justice support to Federal Government De-radicalization, Dis- armament, and Re-Integration (DDR) in collaboration with ONSA, especially for repentant Boko Haram insurgents; support for the Resettlement, Relocation and Repatriation of IDPs and Refugees; hand-over of food and non-food Items by Mr. President to the Presidential Committee on the Repatriation, Return And Resettlement of Displaced Persons in the North East states during the 2022 World Humanitarian Day (worth about N3 billion).
The NEDC also maintains a robust relationship with the military. To this end, it supplied 120 logistic vehicles and diverse hospital diagnostic equipment to military, police, etc.
For COVID-19 interventions, it donated molecular testing laboratories to states (can be upgraded to infectious diseases labs), supplied ambulances, PPEs, etc. to states and federal hospitals in the North-East.
It also created Education Endowment Fund for building human capital in the region through scholarships, short- term capacity building, improvement of basic education etc.
During fasting and festive periods, the commission distributes food items to locals.
However, the chairman of NEDC, Maj. Gen. Paul Tarfa (Retd), admitted that there is still work to be done. He said: “We are attending to the mandate given to us by Mr President. It is not something we can finish in one day. By the grace of God, we shall accomplish our mandate. Your duty is to tell what you have seen in Maiduguri, which is just one of the places we are working on.”
Tarfa said there was a time some parents were begging for their soldier – sons not to be posted to Maiduguri but they are now begging for their children to be sent to Maiduguri.