Vice President Kashim Shettima Wednesday inaugurated the new board and management of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Vice President tasked the new board and management to prioritize access to quality education, healthcare and economic opportunities.
“Today, we must remember that development is not merely about bricks and mortar,” he said.
He said progress is about empowering minds, cultivating talent, and fostering an environment where dreams can flourish.
“The commission can only guarantee the safety of the emerging and future generations if it nurtures the seeds that will produce them. For Nigeria to regain its stability, this commission must refuse to be extinguished even in the face of adversity, as it has since its establishment,” he said.
He said the inauguration of the new management was not merely a political protocol but the renewal of the nation’s hope, the making of a legacy and a testament to the commitment of the Tinubu administration to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the region.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s investment in the human capital and development trajectory of the North-East fuels the enthusiasm with which he has prioritized the affairs of the NEDC.
“I have no doubt that the leadership of this commission is prepared to shoulder the trust placed upon it by the government, as it has done in the past years.
“Your impressive fiscal discipline and financial transparency, which have resulted in a credit balance of N222.9 billion in your coffers in the wake of the second quarter of 2023, are marks of the managerial expectations and character for which NEDC is known.
“I appeal to each of you, for the people summon us. We must don our combat gear to fulfill our promise of preventing any lapses in our intervention, providing the people an escape from undeserved realities. We must restore the glories of the North-East as a vast land of history and culture, and crafts and industry,” he said.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the NEDC board, Maj. Gen. Paul Tarfa (rtd), thanked President Bola Tinubu for finding them worthy of service, assuring that the present board would focus on implementing human capital development projects in line with the “Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Members of the inaugurated board present at the event included, the MD of the Commission, Mohammad Alkali; Gambo Maikomo, member (North-East Taraba); Abdullahi Abbas member (North-West Kano); Steven Tsav member (North-Central, Benue); Mutiu Lawal-Areh Member (South-West, Lagos); Samuel Oni Ebo Member (South-East, Abia); Frank Owhor, member (South-South, Rivers); Musa Yashi, Executive Director Humanitarian Affairs (North-East Bauchi); Ahmed Yahaya, Executive Director, Operations, (North-East Gombe), and Abubakar Iliya, Executive Director Admin and Finance, (North-East, Yobe).
