NEDC engages stakeholders over master plan

The North East Development Commission (NEDC) said it has engaged diverse stakeholders in Taraba State in its bid to draw up the North-East Stabilization and Development Master Plan (NESDMP).

The Managing Director/CEO of the commission, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, in his address Saturday, said the consultation was in line with the provision for the act establishing the commission.

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He explained that the consultation was also very key, making sure that the master plan was all-encompassing and could stand the test of time.

The NEDC Act 2017 provides that the commission shall “develop a master plan based on the needs assessment of the zone to be known as the North-East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan.”

Alhaji Alkali stated that the master plan shall contain programmes and schemes that promote and facilitate the physical and socio-economic development of the North-East sub-region.

“The NEDC Establishment Act also designates the Commission as the Focal Point to coordinate and harmonize all other intervention programmes and initiatives that member states, the federal government, and all stakeholders will execute for the stabilisation and development of the region,” he said.

In his address, Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku, who was represented at the occasion by the states’ Head of Service, Mrs Suzy Nathan, said the region was in serious distress and if urgent measures are not put in place soon, the future would be hopeless.