North East Development Commission (NEDC) was established by president Muhammadu Buhari in response to the yearning of the people of that region especially those who suffered destruction from Boko Haram insurgents.
Since its emergence, the violent group destroyed many houses, schools, markets, mosques, churches, motor parks, police stations, military offices as well as government property in the zone. Their series of attacks within the past 13 years also rendered many citizens homeless and jobless. This is even as many citizens especially children dropped out of schools after being displaced from their towns.
Therefore, as part of efforts to resuscitate the region, the federal government created the commission with the mandate of rebuilding it and bringing succour to the victims.
NEDC has since its creation few years ago, swung into action to discharge its responsibility of empowering victims of the Boko Haram crisis and other people of the north eastern states.
LEADERSHIP’s attention will be focused today on the developmental and humanitarian projects carried out by the commission in Gombe State.
Our correspondent reports that the commission has intervened in various aspects in the state particularly in the health, agricultural and educational sectors.
The aforementioned sectors are the most essential for human survival and development. For everyone to be able to achieve their goals, they must be in good health and acquire education. Moreso, agriculture can be a source of livelihood to people. In fact, everybody can have access to farming unlike other occupations and businesses that are for privileged ones.
Against this background, the NEDC came up with series of activities to revamp hospitals, schools and empower farmers in Gombe State after conducting needs assessment of all the 11 local governments to know the needs and aspirations of the citizens.
For instance, last year, precisely in February, the commission provided solar light at the most important units of the Gombe Specialists Hospital to enhance efficiency in service delivery and ensure that patients receive better attention. These units which need constant light including Administration block, Emergency, Gynae and Paediatric wards were provided with solar light by the NEDC.
It also provided 500 KVA generator to the Federal Teaching Hospital in the state even as it is currently constructing a befitting Trauma Centre at the facility. In addition to that, it renovated many of the dilapidated primary health care centres up to standard especially those in Nafada, Shongom and Funakaye local government areas.
Another major intervention by the commission in the health sector was in January 2021 when it purchased 2, 000 doses of anti venom drugs and donated to Snake Bite Hospital in Kaltungo local government. It should be noted that people all over the nation and beyond come to the hospital for treatment of persons bitten by snakes.
Our correspondent gathered that one dose of anti venom drug is being sold at the hospital at the cost of N45, 000. But with the donation of the drugs by the NEDC, patients now get it free of charge.
The Gombe State Coordinator of NEDC, Rufai Lawan Baba Manu, told our correspondent that the commission is proposing to make the Kaltungo Snake Bite Hospital a research centre that will be producing anti venom medicines to cater for the teeming victims of snake bites who troop to it from many places.
In the area of agriculture, NEDC has in April 2021, built farm centres in four local governments of Kwami, Dukku, Billiri and Balanga. Inside the farms centres, there are stores, tractors, fertilizer for sale or lease to farmers. Besides, extension workers are available there to attend to farmers who experience some problems with their plants or need professional advice.
The idea according to Rufai is to enable farmers particularly those in rural areas to have access to farm inputs like fertilizer without coming to the state capital to purchase. But at the centres, they can get everything they require including tractors and extension services.
He explained that they have also established six nursery centres for production of seedlings in Gombe, Kwami, Nafada, Kaltungo and Funakaye local government areas as part of measures to encourage tree planting and tackle erosion which is a serious problem in the state.
On education, NEDC has built 480 rooms hostel for students as its support in the three mega schools built by Gombe State government in the three senatorial zones of the state. It also built six laboratories, 16 classrooms in each of the schools and took care of the fencing. This is just as the commission is constructing one kilometer road each in the mega schools.
Apart from that, it constructed one block of three classrooms in the 11 local governments of the state.
At the tertiary level, the commission has awarded contracts for construction of Science and Arts Complex at the Federal University Kashere, Hostel for medical students of Gombe State University, library for State Polytechnic in Bajoga and some classes at the College of Legal Studies in Nafada.
Furthermore, contracts were also awarded by the commission for the provision of solar light at the Federal College of Education, Gombe, Clinics at College of Education Billiri and Entrepreneurship Education and Development (EED) Centre at College of Horticulture, Dadin Kowa.
Still on capital projects, the commission is currently constructing 500 houses for the less privileged people with the first phase of 250 houses ongoing. The project which is being done across the region is meant to shut down Internally Displaced Persons Camps and reintegrate them into the society.
Likewise, a lot of humanitarian programmes were carried out by the commission in parts of the state which include training of youth and women on skills and occupations.
Under its humanitarian activities, assistance was given to 1, 000 victims of recent floods in Bojude where relief material was shared to them. 1, 500 victims of the flood in Nafada local government were also supported with Zinc, woods and nails to mend their destructed houses.
Aftermath of the recent communal crisis in Billiri and Balanga local governments, victims were assisted with food items, cloths and soaps by the commission to show them empathy and love in their trying period.
Attached are pictures of the anti venom medicines donated to Snake Bite Hospital, Kaltungo and Farms centres built in Various local government areas.
