To restore infrastructural and all forms of development in the North-east region which has been ravaged by insurgency in the last 13 years, North-East Development Commission (NEDC) unveiled a North East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan (NESDMP) on September 1, 2022 aimed at facilitating a transformative growth of the region and lifting citizens in the region out of poverty.
Basically, the NEDC is charged with the responsibility to assess, coordinate, harmonies, and report on all intervention programmes, and initiatives by the federal government or any of its Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), States; and other Development Partners and for the implementation of all programmes and initiatives for the North East states.
NESDMP plan has four implementation phases; recovery and stabilisation (2020-2021), renewal phase (2022-2023), expansion phase, (2024-2025), and the sustainable growth phase (2022-2030).
The North-East Development Master Plan is the document that will be used to develop the region. The plan contains the Commission’s enterprise value, mission and vision, and direction for the region. The plan is for 10 years, 2020-2030.
The Master Plan is an offshoot of what used to be the President Muhammadu Buhari plan, which he approved in 2016. It was developed to have an immediate intervention at the peak of the insurgency. To execute the current plan, the Commission needs N31.05 trillion which is equivalent to about $80 billion.
However, under the commission’s NESDMP through the Multi-Sectoral Crisis Recovery Project (MCRP), the Commission has engaged six universities and one research institute in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States to promote research and further development in the region.
The schools include: Modibbo Adamawa University, Yola, Federal University Gashua, Yobe (FUGASHUA), University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Borno State University, Maiduguri (BOSU), Adamawa State University Mubi (ADSU), Yobe State University, Damaturu (YSU).
The Commission also offered 700,000 (N316m) in research grants to 90 postgraduate students as part of institutional support to the tune of about $700,000 (N316m).
The federal coordinator of the programme Dr. Muhammad Danjuma disclosed this while speaking with newsmen at the opening of a 2-day workshop in Abuja to flag off the research and institutional support programmes under components of three of the MCRP additional financing.
He stated that 30 PhDs and 60 masters students will benefit from the scholarship.
He said: “The project is designed to respond to the devastation in the Northeast, particularly in the areas of rehabilitating the region.
“The programme is multi-sectoral and aimed at rehabilitating the health sector, education sector, water, and sanitation sector, building roads and bridges, as well as peace building and social cohesion. So it’s a World Bank Loan given to the three states as grants.”
Danjuma stated that the project is a $376 million World Bank loan that the federal government took to resuscitate socio-economic activities in the three states and given as a grant to respond to the needs across the three states as well as implemented up until 2024.
He added that the grant would support and research in five thematic areas of agriculture, climate change mitigation, regional planning, peace, and social cohesion.
“The grant will also support higher institutions with very critical equipment that will further aid in research capabilities in those universities, making provision of things like laboratory equipment and other resources that are needed to aid research in those institutions.”
He added that through the project, the commission has been able to provide over 350 hospitals, primary and tertiary secondary hospitals, rehabilitated over 300 classrooms as well as hundreds of kilometers of roads.
He said, “The grant will also support higher institutions with very critical equipment that will further aid in research capabilities in those universities, making provision of things like laboratory equipment and other resources that are needed to aid research in those institutions.”
He added that the commission has been able to disburse almost 100 per cent of the original financing of the MCRP and implementation has been in top gear.
“Not just the numbers in terms of how much we have disbursed but we are engaged in the practical work with over 350 hospitals, primary and tertiary secondary hospitals rehabilitated.
“Over 300 classroom blocks built as well as hundreds of kilometres of roads in Mubi – Baza road were rehabilitated, which is a 34 kilometer road in Adamawa was rehabilitated under this project. The Lokwa bridge in Mubi was rehabilitated under this project.
“And of course, Maiduguri – Bama Road is which is 50 per cent completed now it’s been rehabilitated under this project, as well as the Gujba/Ngalda road that has already been implemented. So, the project is making a huge impact in the North East and I am very optimistic about the outcome. Especially after the implementation of the second phase.”
On his part, the vice chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, Prof. Aliyu Shugaba, said the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the Commission is to help provide solutions to some issues that emanated after the Boko Haram insurgency.
Shugaba said that the MoU would help to revive the region.
He said, “The researchers will look at problematic areas the region has suffered devastation during the more than a decade of insurgency.
“We are trying to look at the things that led to the crises and how they impacted and devastated the sub-region, and how we can prevent them. Whatever the researchers come up with will lead to the development in the region and ways to sustain such development.”
On the utilization of the research from the project, he said, “The outcome of the research that will be conducted by these academics will be looked at viz a viz bringing about a recovery process and how we sustain it.
“We have already told them that this is not research they will do and keep on their shelves or publish for promotion but the purpose of development.
“In this case, we are saying that they are generating knowledge but it is not knowledge that will be without application as they will be applied to solve the problems that exist within the region.”
One of the participants from Yobe State University, Dr. Ibrahim Muhammad, said the research by his team is to look at the value chain of agricultural products to study the chemicals used for planting and storage.
He said the study will also help in identifying harmful substances, if any, in agricultural produce consumed in the region that may affect the health of the populace negatively.
He stated that the research was chosen due to the high cases of kidney problems in the region.
The workshop had in attendance over 30 participants from six universities consisting of vice-chancellors, heads of departments, and researchers.
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