The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has presented a 10-year development master plan to stakeholders in Gombe State for their inputs for further development of the region.
Managing Director North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Mohammed Alkali, at a consultative meeting with Gombe State stakeholders on the North-East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan (NESDMP), said the project base would be according to the needs assessment of the zone.
The proposed 10-year NESDMP he said, would encompass the relevant aspects of Development Plans & Policies of Gombe State Government and those of other partners.
According to him, the plan contain programmes and schemes that promote and facilitate the physical and socio-economic development of the North-East Zone as well as estimates of the time and costs of implementing the programmes and schemes.
Noting that the entire North-Eastern States form the most critical partners of NEDC, he said: “in order to come up with a robust Regional Master Plan, we consider consultations with State Stakeholders as very pertinent towards producing credible and comprehensive roadmap for recovery and sustainable socio-economic development of the region.”
He disclosed that the NEDC between June and September 2021 conducted baseline surveys and consultations with Grassroot Stakeholders in all the 11 LGAs in the State through Organised Private Sector.
“Similar engagements were held with Development Partners, Federal Legislators from the zone and Federal MDAs & Security Agencies,” Alkali said.
“Today’s joint Consultative Meeting with all representative groups of Stakeholders in the State (MDAs, Legislature, Judiciary, LGA Officials, Security Agencies, Traditional and Religious Leaders, Private Sector, CSOs, HDP Actors, Women and Youth Groups, Persons Living With Disabilities) will be followed by finalization of a Draft Master Plan that will eventually be presented for validation.
“The essence of having these diverse Stakeholders under one roof here, therefore, is to harness their individual and collective inputs to enrich the process and align with inclusiveness and bottom-up policy of NEDC.”
He said the progress recorded in the Master Plan Project would be presented to Stakeholders for inputs, noting that: “during the Technical Session, discussions are expected to focus on schemes, Programmes and Projects that should be included in the Master Plan to alleviate poverty and create prosperity in the State in particular and the region in general.”
Speaking in the same vein, Chairman for the development of the Master Plan, Prof. Umar Boboi was optimistic that the commission would come out better after the whole exercise.
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya appreciated the commission for adopting a participatory and consultative approach to decision-making and for organising the engagement which he said testified to the commitment of the Commission’s Management to developing a robust stabilization and development masterplan for the region.
He said the NEDC move was similar to the state’s preparation of DEVAGOM, “the 10-year plan this administration developed to serve as a development roadmap for Gombe State.”
Yahaya described NEDC as one of the numerous democracy dividends so far enjoyed by the sub-region.
He posited that a comprehensive master plan would give the commission a sound footing that would aid its statutory mandates that would guide its future interventions.
Yahaya said the masterplan through an inclusive engagement process, “will certainly yield workable and acceptable strategies for the commission’s activities in this sub-region.
“Such a feat will be a milestone and a big leap in our collective history and achievements. It will give us a road map for the transformation of critical sectors enshrined in the North-East Development Commission’s mandates,” he added.
Meanwhile, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and all governmental arms including traditional rulers commended the NEDC for living above board amidst the threat of politicisation.
In its goodwill message, representative of the entire CSOs in the state, Comrade Gloria Usman confessed the initial fear they had at the setting up of the commission but added: “we were relieved to note that the commission was not politicised, it has delivered its mandate accordingly at all the six concerned states.”
According to the Speaker State House of Assembly, Muhammed Abubakar Lugerewo said the commission was the best palliative agency that could happen in the region: “we are convinced that the commission is doing very well because we’ve had increased hospital facilities, schools and better constructed roads,” he said.
Also, the Commissioner for finance and economic development, Mallam Muhammed Gambo Magaji after appreciating the strive of NEDC in the region, noted likely challenges before that may threaten its future existence.
Gambo worried among others about the commission after the present government and how it will raise funds to sponsor the master plan.