The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has partnered the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) to assess and provide professional advice on rebuilding roads and bridges that were damaged in the region.
LEDERSHIP reports that several roads in the six states of the Northeast have been cut off by flood resulting from excessive rainfall due to climate change, while some bridges in the region collapsed, thus making accessibility to many communities difficult.
NEDC’s Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali, during the meeting with the NSE representatives at the Commission’s headquarters in Maiduguri on Friday, recalled there was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the commission and NSE as part of the mandate in developing the region.
He noted that it has become very important to interface and provide a lasting solution to the short, medium and long term durable solutions to the environmental degradation and other challenges in the North-East states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba that have experienced flood devastation this year.
Alkali said the terms of reference would be produced immediately after a robust deliberation with all bodies where a committee will be set up by the NEDC for the NSE to swing into action for the rehabilitation of the roads.
He stressed that the situation calls for urgent approach as the entire states witness the disaster of collapsed roads and bridges that needed prompt intervention.
The NEDC Boss said, “We brought people with professional qualifications to assist with on-the-spot assessment and produce a report we would work on to ameliorate the suffering of our people”.
Responding, the Borno State Branch Chairman of the NSE, Engr. Mohammed Shettima said, although there was an existing MoU with the Commission, it was not effective for quite some time due to one reason or the other, noting however that with the present situation of roads and bridges in the region, the issues would be revisited for NSE to collaborate with the NEDC to address the challenges.
He explained that NSE is presently addressing 32 critical aspects of water management, structural integrity, and rehabilitation, adding that it will team with NEDC to ensure safe and secured environment.
“By adopting a comprehensive approach, the Nigerian Society of Engineers and the commission can mitigate dam-related risks and promote sustainable water management practices.
“We will partner with the commission to prevent dangers by providing professional advice. We have informed the state government, and Governor Zulum has directed his team to work with us.
“After this meeting, we will do what we can to achieve this goal, which requires engagement and technical proposals with timelines for successful implementation. Rapid administration, feedback, and detailed surveys will also be crucial in this trying period, even as we wait for our Terms Of Reference (TOR),” Shettima said.
