Scrap North-East Development Commission Now, Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba Elders And Youths Beg President Tinubu
The spokespersons for the group, Faruk Abubakar and Mr Peter Bwala, in a press statement signed by the duo, called on President Bola Tinubu to scrap the Commission because it has been transformed into Borno Development Commission (BDC) and no longer the NEDC in practice.
Some opinion leaders and youth groups from Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states have called for the scrapping of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) over alleged discrimination, nepotism, abuse of office and corruption.
The spokespersons for the group, Faruk Abubakar and Mr Peter Bwala, in a press statement signed by the duo, called on President Bola Tinubu to scrap the Commission because it has been transformed into Borno Development Commission (BDC) and no longer the NEDC in practice.
According to elders and youths, its operations have been marred by high-level corruption.
The statement said deductions are being made from resources of the states that make up the NEDC but only Borno State benefits from the funds.
The statement further stated that billions of dollars from NGOs and various organisations around the world put into the commission cannot be properly accounted for and that other than Borno Kanuri, indigenes of other states are being treated as second-class beneficiaries in the commission.
The NEDC was established in 2017 after the Bill establishing the Commission was passed. It was signed as an Act on October 25th, 2017.
The commission is tasked with the responsibility of rebuilding the North-East region after years of destruction by activities of the Boko Haram insurgents which crippled the economy of the entire North-East, with refugees fleeing Borno and Yobe states into other states in the North-East.
According to the law, the North-East states to benefit from the commission are Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba.
The bill provides that the commission should be funded by 3 per cent of the federation’s value-added tax (VAT) for a period of 10 years.
The other sources of funding of the commission would include 15 per cent of allocation to the states as well as a 50 per cent deduction of the ecological fund due to the six North Eastern states.
However, according to the statement, since the establishment of the commission which replaced the defunct Presidential Initiative on Northeast under the leadership of Borno-born Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, “widespread and mind-boggling cases of corruption, impunity, total disregard for relevant law establishing the commission have been ignored and the commission hijacked as a conduit pipe exclusively reserved for indigenes of Borno State and their elites”.
It continued, “Investigations revealed that besides neglecting the relevant laws stipulating the rotation of the position of the Chairman and that of the Managing Director after every four years as enshrined in the act establishing the commission, Alhaji Muhammed Alkali was brought back illegally through the back door with several corruption cases and charges of impunity and abuse of office hanging on his neck.
“Reports from other states that make up the North-East suggest that 99% of all top management civil servants seconded from various Federal government ministries into NEDC are all indigenes of Borno State exclusively.
“99% of contract awards of construction of roads, bridges, schools, markets and economic empowerment, including the contractors are in Borno State and from Borno.
“Some indigenes of the state who don’t want their identity disclosed for fear of reprisals lamented that you must be Kanuri to be relevant or considered for any opportunity in NEDC.
“This ‘Kanurisation’ has led to frustration and anger amongst many citizens of the states that make up the North-East who are now openly calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the scrapping of the commission once and for all.”
