Ndume Canvasses More Housing For IDPs In Borno South, NEDC Office In Biu

Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC Borno South), has charged the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to establish an annex office in Biu and expand its housing and infrastructure interventions across communities in southern Borno.

He made the call yesterday during a courtesy visit to the managing director and chief executive officer of the NEDC, Mohammed Goni Alkali, where he commended the commission for its growing investments across the North-East while urging it to bring more of its interventions closer to the people.

The lawmaker said the establishment of an NEDC annex office in Biu would ease access to the commission’s programmes and interventions for people in Southern Borno and surrounding areas, while helping to reduce pressure on the commission’s central operations.

Ndume also made a strong case for increased investment in housing, particularly in communities still dealing with the consequences of insurgency and displacement.

He specifically identified Damboa, Chibok, Gwoza, Askira-Uba and Biu as areas where additional housing projects would support displaced families, encourage resettlement and help communities rebuild.
The senator further called for greater infrastructure and institutional support for major educational institutions in the senatorial district, including the Federal College of Education, Gwoza, and the Nigerian Army University, Biu.

He urged the commission to intervene in the completion of the Izge–Bita Road, a project he facilitated last year but which has remained slow due to funding challenges.

The lawmaker also expressed satisfaction with the NEDC’s massive investment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), particularly the commission’s support for the fertility centre, a specialised facility providing reproductive and fertility-related medical services.

Responding, Mohammed Goni Alkali thanked Ndume for the visit and his continued commitment to the development of the North-East.

Alkali said the commission remained determined to reduce hardship and improve the lives of people across the region through strategic development interventions.

He explained that the NEDC Act provides for the establishment of offices across the six states of the North-East, adding that while the commission already operates offices in some states, others are at various stages of construction.

On Senator Ndume’s request for an annex office in Biu, Alkali explained that the commission’s offices are principally established at the state level. However, he assured the senator that the NEDC would continue to explore effective ways of bringing its services and interventions closer to communities across the region.

On the request for more housing projects in Borno South, the NEDC boss assured that the commission would continue to invest in the construction of quality houses, particularly in communities recovering from insurgency and displacement.