North East Development Commission, NEDC, has donated N2 billion as restart capital to traders of the re-opened Maiduguri Central Market, popularly known as “Monday Market” which was gutted by fire in February.
Managing Director of NEDC, Mohammed Alkali, announced the donation on Monday in Maiduguri during a courtesy call on Governor Babagana Zulum by the newly- constituted board of the commission.
Mr Alkali lauded Mr Zulum for rehabilitating the completely burnt market within the shortest possible time, adding that NEDC, on its part, had provided the N2b support to the traders who lost their goods to the unfortunate incident.
“On our side, we are considering how to support the traders to be comfortable.
“For now, the board decided to give a grant of N2b to support them,” Mr Alkali said.
Responding, Mr Zulum lauded the support from NEDC, assuring that it would reach the targetted beneficiaries.
“I promised you that one naira shall not be diverted.
“We already have a high-powered committee on reconstruction of the market, with security personnel as members.
“We will now include EFCC and ICPC personnel in the committee,” he said.
The governor, who lauded the commission for its numerous interventions in the state, urged it to concentrate on projects like roads, education, renewable energy and agriculture in the zone.
While imploring the commission to key into the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, Mr Zulum also called for support for his administration’s Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, RRR, programme.
The newly-reconstituted NEDC board, led by the Chairman, Retired Maj.-Gen Paul Tarfa, also visited police station and military barrack projects executed by the commission in Bama and Konduga Local Government Areas.
The board members also visited Alau Dam which is supplying water to Maiduguri town, where the chairman spoke on the commission’s commitment to repairing part of the dam damaged by flood in 2022.
NAN
