Vice President Shettima Inaugurates NEDC Board (Photo)

The Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima on Wednesday, inaugurated the reconstituted board and management of the North East Development Commission (NEDC).

The inauguration was done on Wednesday, Naija News reports.

According to a statement by the Director of Information in Office of the Vice President, Olusola Abiola, Shettima urged members of the newly-reconstituted board to focus on human capital development.

The Vice President stressed that the constitution of the board is beyond a political jamboree but is a testimony of the commitment of the President Bola Tinubu administration to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the region.

He said: “Today, we must remember that development is not merely about bricks and mortar,” adding that progress “is also 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 noted.

According to the Vice President, “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.”

Shettima commended the efforts of the immediate past board, but stressed the need for the new members to work to restore the glory of the region.

“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,” the VP tasked the new board.

Shettima then appealed to leaders and the people of the northeast region to support the new board and management to deliver on its mandate of transforming the region, noting that “this is a journey we cannot afford to undertake divided.”

Speaking on behalf of other members, the Chairman of the NEDC board, Maj. Gen. Paul Tarfa (rtd), thanked President Tinubu for finding them worthy of service, assuring that the present board will ensure the implementation of 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).

Some top dignitaries who witnessed the inauguration included the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum; NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd); the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia; Senators Kaka Lawan and Musliu Obanikoro, and Lagos State APC Chairman, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi, among others.