The North East Development Commission as a step in the right direction

We have had a long history of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria, starting with the Maitatsine uprising in the 1980s to the Boko Haram (BH) unrest and insurgency which began in 2009. But of all unrests in Nigeria’s recent history, it seems that the BH is significantly more distressing given the human and material losses as consequence. The BH is also unlike the other uprisings for it attempts to emplace an abnormal religious ‘sect’ on a secular state. A central reason that could have provided the basis for its fertile grounding and breeding could be attributed to the religious sensitivity of Nigerians; and the failure of the state to define a national culture and identity that speaks to the nation’s secularity. Other outlying yet important reasons for the spawning and maturation of the sect could revolve around the dawn of party politics in Nigeria, in the sense that political actors are desperate toward power, as well as the ambivalent attitudes of the religious clergy that discourages any attempt to have a strong campaign against the fomenting of religious crisis.

During a decade of the crisis, the north-eastern part of Nigeria, with emphasis on the three states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, have been most affected by the insurgency. This has also created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis, with about 7.7 million people in need of assistance such as in the areas of food security and other needs for sustainable livelihoods such as health, nutrition, shelter, protection against child- and gender-based violence, etc. To this extent, the United Nations had deployed various actions for humanitarian assistance to save millions of lives. But the main challenge faced by the humanitarian actors (even though famine had been averted and life-saving nutritional support had been given to millions of children) is the inability to achieve an even wider coverage. Starting in December 2016, a humanitarian response plan was launched in Nigeria, in alliance with the United Nations and 75 partner organizations. The plan focusses on 8.5 million people within the northeast who are in urgent need of assistance, with a targeted 6.9 million who are in desperate need for lifesaving supports. Within these figures, 5.1 million people needed food and nutrition assistance in 2017 alone; and an estimated 5.9 million targeted for assistance on health services.

Recognizing the crisis in the northeast as fundamentally a humanitarian crisis, the Buhari-led administration had supported all paths toward rehabilitating and reconstructing the devastated region with a view to resettling the victims of the crisis in the medium- and long-term. While significant achievements have been recorded in terms of rehabilitation and resettlement under the present government’s agenda for the northeast, there are challenges that remain, particularly because there was an absence of a government agency that is charged with the responsibility of, amongst other things, receiving and managing funds allocated by the Nigerian government and international donors for humanitarian action.

Thus, the broad functions of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), as contained in the NEDC Act are: formulating policies and guidelines for intervention in the development of the northeast zone; ascertaining the extent of loss and destruction in the northeast in order to embark upon measures that are necessary for the proper planning and implementation of physical and socioeconomic development of the zone; developing a masterplan based on needs assessment of the zone; coordinating programs within the masterplan for rehabilitation, resettlement and reconstruction, and sustainable development of the northeast zone in the fields of infrastructure, human and social services including health and nutrition, education and water supply, agriculture, wealth creation and employment opportunities, urban and rural development, and poverty alleviation; liaising with government ministries, departments and agencies, states and development partners on the implementation of all measures approved in the masterplan for the stabilization and development of the northeast zone; interfacing with development partners and non-governmental organizations to ensure synergy with other stakeholders in line with the masterplan; acting as the focal point to coordinate and harmonize all other intervention programs and initiatives that the government is involved with in the northeast; etc.

While the mandates of the commission as highlighted above are far-reaching and suitably comprehensive, nevertheless, the NEDC will also consider the possibility of working closely with international organizations such as the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) to bolster the strategies for mitigating the rapid drying up of the Lake Chad and the expanding frontiers of the Sahara-Sahel arid zone. Technologies and techniques for agriculture in arid zones can also be adopted for the Lake Chad region. The advantages of aridity can be harnessed through the construction of solar farms whose electricity products can be monetized and reinvested in the lives of the people of the northeast. Another necessity is research. The NEDC can fund research and studies in fields with direct bearing on its areas of intervention. Some of the research can be specific, targeted scientific studies commissioned to develop ameliorative possibilities; while other studies can precede specific programs to determine feasibility. Another type of research can focus on the cultural and anthropological dimensions of developmental interventions; with the NEDC being able to study and research as needed by leveraging academic expertise in the northeast where possible. Overall, the NEDC is a step in the right direction and Nigerians, especially the people of the northeast region should welcome it.