The North East Development Commission (NEDC) consultative meeting with North-East National Assembly caucus on the North-East Stabilization and Development Master plan (NESDMP) project has ended in Abuja.
Rising from a meeting on Wednesday, the NEDC demanded for five percent from the Value Added Tax (VAT) and the Ecological Fund to enable them develop the region.
The meeting also recognised the need for a public private partnership (PPP) in funding the project.
Speaking during a stakeholders meeting the Managing Director/ CEO, Mohammed Alkali said there are still funds needed to build the North East based on their 10 years master plan.
“We need increment in the VAT and Ecological Fund from three percent to five percent,” Alkali said adding that, “if anything happens to the VAT and the ecological funds it will affect our operations,”.
“So, we want the ratio to be increased from three percent to five percent to help us run the activities of the commission effectively,” Alkali said.
On how the North East will be developed within a period of 10 years, the NEDC consultant, Dr Kasim Gidado said 18 parties were involved in developing the master plan.
According to Gidado, it is good for the six states in the North east to work together rather than individual states working separately.
He said the plan was for the development of the six states covering 112 local governments in the North East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan.
“The master plan is from 2020 to 2030. We identify 11 pillars in the master plan with five main areas,” Gidado said adding that 80 percent of the development projects would be driven by Public Private Partnership.
Another consultant, Dr Mohammed Ahmed, particularly stated that the NEDC require over $ 9.6 billion based on the assessment of the world Bank and the European Union to fix the infrastructural needs of the North East geopolitical zone at the receiving end of the Boko Haram Islamists terrorist group for the past 10 years.
NEDC also hinted that 18 mega Schools making it three from the six states will be constructed.
Earlier, leader of the North East Caucus in the National Assembly, Sen Danjuma Goje, said the commission is their baby adding that after all processes, Buhari established the commission.
“This meeting is an opportunity to have a first hand briefing on the commission’s activities because we want development of the North East, ” Goje said before the meeting entered into Executive session.
The North East Development Commission (NEDC) was established in 2017, after the Bill establishing the Commission was passed. It was signed as an Act on October 25th, 2017.
