Gabriel Enenche —

The Managing Director, North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Mohammed Alkali, said the Nigerian government had concluded the construction of 1,000 housing units as part of it’s resettlement efforts for millions of inhabitants displaced by the 13-year insurgency in Nigeria’s North-East.

Alkali yesterday revealed this at the 50th Session of the State House Briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

According to him, the 1000 houses were built in Ngwom, Borno, with plans to build 500 housing units in five other affected states each, costing N17.5bn.

The mass housing project includes two-bedroom flats built in clusters. The housing units have been handed over to the Borno State Government who distributed it to various households.

Alkali also revealed that the NEDC hds executed 647 projects ranging from agriculture, health, education, energy/power across 112 local government areas in the North-East.

With each LGA gulping at least N50m, the total costs accrues to N5.6bn.

He noted that three bridges had been constructed in Kudzum, Dilechim and Wuro-Ngayandi areas of Adamawa State.

The MD argued that the lack of a sturdy education system in the North-East had fuelled the insurgency.

Therefore, the commission, he explained, created an Education Endowment Fund with a seed capital of N6bn; with plans to dedicate 10 per cent of its annual allocation to the fund.

The NEDC was inaugurated by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in 2017 to coordinate all humanitarian interventions by government Ministries, Departments and Agencies based on the North-East stabilisation masterplan.

To execute its mandate according to the North-East stabilisation and development masterplan in the next 30 years, Alkali said the commission required at least N31.05tn.