The Northeast Development Commission, NEDC, an agency created to address developmental challenges in the war-ravaged region, would soon take off with the sum of N55 billion.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, who made the disclosure during an interactive session with newsmen Sunday night in Yola, Adamawa state, said preparations for the commission’s take-off were in the final stages.
While giving the breakdown of the figures, Mr Mustapha said the sum of N10 billion was earmarked for the take-off of the NEDC, adding that N45 billion is the commission’s budgetary allocation for the year 2019.
“The Nigerian Senate is due to approve members of the board of management before the month of March lapses,” Mr Mustapha added.
Mr Mustapha further said the Buhari-led administration has taken far-reaching steps to ameliorate the suffering of the people of the North-East region ravaged by the insurgency.
The steps, according to him, include the construction of dual carriageway from Abuja to Yola, through Gombe and “a standard gauge rail line to link state capitals in the region”.
Mr Mustapha also bared his mind on a wide range of issues, including the ruling party’s poor performance in Adamawa state in the presidential and national assembly elections, as well as the raging conflict within the party at the state level.
“I think the APC did not perform woefully as you have asserted. On the contrary, we have done very well,” he said.
“Don’t forget that Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate, is from this state; besides, you’re talking about an Atiku who has been the Vice President for eight years, with political experience spanning well over 20 years.
“I think it is only proper to commend our performance in Adamawa and to say instead, that Atiku has managed to win his home state with a slim margin of just about 30,000 votes,” he said.
Mr Mustapha, therefore, expressed confidence that his party, the APC, would retain power in the state.
“Let me assure you that feuding parties within our top echelons have closed ranks, and you’ll see that at work next Saturday,” he said.
