By Abdallah el-Kurebe, Editor
#TrackNigeria: The Chairman of the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC), Maj. Gen. P.C. Tarfa Rtd has promised to continue with the “Buhari Plan.”
In a statement issued Thursday, he said that hopes were been raised for the impoverished and devasted North East Region with the take over of the Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative NEDC.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony in Abuja recently, the chairman said the “Buhari Plan” is a strategic plan to ameliorate the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by providing facilities and infrastructure for the region.
Gen Tarfa noted that the PCNI had done very well.
“So, we shall continue from where they stopped. But don’t forget that we are a commission. We are also working on a master plan for which we are established. Wherever they have stopped, we continue. While we continue preparing our master plan for the North East,” he concluded.
While handing the PCNI to Tarfa, the PCNI Vice chairman, Tijjani Tumsah noted that for the Commission to meet its mandate, there was need for it to engage the communities in terms of infrastructure provision among others.
On the issue of repentant Boko Haram members, Tumsah disclosed that some of them were presently being trained in various skills to enable them integrate into their communities.
The Managing Director of NEDC), Mohammed Goni Alkali said the Commission would concentrate on the provision of infrastructure to encourage those that fled their communities to return home.
He explained that in-spite of the challenges associated with the provision of infrastructure, NEDC would not shy away from meeting the immediate needs of the people.
“Infrastructure could be in the form of roads, housing whatever, that will make them come back to their communities. These are people that maybe want their market to be rebuilt, want their mosque to be rebuilt, or their houses to be rebuilt.
“That will give them the assurance that life is coming back. So we will try to build back that confidence,” he said.
