The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has unfolded a new stabilization and development master plan for the region. The plan tagged: “Northeast Stabilisation and Development Master Plan (NSDMP) is to transform insurgency affected states of Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Gombe and Yobe.
The 12-year conflict killed over 46,000 people with $9.2 billion (N3.42 trillion) destroyed property in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. While announcing the development plan Wednesday at a Humanitarian, Development and Peace (HDP) building Stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, the Managing Director of the Commission, Mohammed Alkali disclosed: “The new master plan is an all-inclusive roadmap for peace, reconciliation and rehabilitation of victims of insurgency.”
“The execution of this master plan could reactivate, replace and reconstruct the insurgency affected region,” he said. He noted that this will enable the commission in collaboration with the affected states to resettle over a million IDP returnees into liberated communities. He explained that the new plan encompasses regeneration, redevelopment, and sustainable growth and development of the region. He said this would focus on both alleviating poverty and promoting prosperity using transformative projects and programmes.
“The Act establishing the Commission provides the need to have a master plan,” adding that the road map could also realize the humanitarian development and peace building of region. He said the NSDMP plan is a comprehensive that covers all human endeavours as it affects the Northeast. On the implementation of plan, he said: “The six state governments might have their master plans, but they could be streamlined into a single development plan,” noting that there are some duplications of activities in the region that could be erased.
According to him; “We’ve a Consultant already working on the project by harmonizing strategies to execute the master plan. The Lead Consultant, Dr. Kassim Gidado disclosed that the NSDMP 2030 plan aims to achieve a thriving and peaceful region. The Head of Humanitarian Team, Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) UK, Alexandra Maclean, said the British Government was assist to assist the commission through the ENSURE Trust Fund. She noted that ongoing conflict crisis in Northeast remains a significant priority for the UK. “The value of the northeast master plan cannot be over-emphasized,” she said.
