From Ahmad SAKA, Bauchi
The Federal House of Representatives has praised the North East Development Commission (NEDC) for executing numerous strategic projects across the six States in the North East sub-region.
Chairman House Commitee on NEDC ,Alhaji Usman Zanna stated this in Bauchi after they inspected many projects executed by the Commission in the State as part of their oversight function. He said “seeing is believied from what we have seen on the ground we commended the leadership of the commission for transparent and accountability in managing it’s affairs without any favour between the benefiting states of the region.
Zanna said they were impressed by the built of mega schools to help reduce number of out of school children in the region, and the provision of infrustracture at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, renovations of Mechanical buildings and lectureTheatere Hall of the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi.
He said the national assembly will look for more funding to the commission from the relevant natiional and international donor agencies to help in the execution of various projects that would always improve the living standard of the common man.
The Committee chairman, said what they have seen debunked the insinuation that the MD and the NEDC are only doing jobs in one particular area, by seeing this, we have to clear that insinuation. The MD and members of his management are really working in all the six states of the region.
“When we return to Abuja, we will discuss more and how to get more funds to continue with the good work you’re doing”
The managing director of the commission Mohammed Goni Alkali, said they are working in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and would make sure they deliver any project in good time for the benefit of all.
This mega school project interns of physical structure is 80% completion but you know “we can’t built such structure and leave it like this, there some finishing touches inters of fittings and furnitures and by the grace of God in the next few months we are going to hand over the projects to the state government”.
“We are going to put strategy on how this project will be maintained not only here is going to be across all northeast there is going to kind of MoU between us and the state government”.
Goni said that the Commission as an Agency of the Federal Government decided to intervene on the Bauchi to Gombe Federal Highway Project as commuters suffer loss of lives and property yearly.
He said that the Commission approached the Federal Ministry of Works to intervene in some areas of the roads, adding that the road built between Bauchi and Gombe states some eight years ago is completely not motorable,as an agency of the of the federal government and this is a federal road, we are doing this as a Commission to ease the pain of our commuters.
Some of the projects lawmakers include the Bauchi-Gombe road, Kirfi-Gombe-Abba road, Mega Schools three un each senatorial districts, constriction and equipping of Medical Emergency Complex and ongoing construction of Institute of Ophthalmology Complex at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, as well the Commission’s State Office amongst others.
