FG to tackle infrastructure challenges in North-East – Minister

The Federal Government on Monday pledged to fast track the restoration of infrastructure destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.

It said it was poised to enhance the region’s recovery efforts through special intervention.

Mr Uba Ahmadu, the Minister of State for Regional Development, made this known when he paid a courtesy call to Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno.

It was part of his schedule during his three-day facility tour of the North East Development Commission (NEDC’s) intervention projects in Maiduguri.

The minister said Borno had a special place in the developmental agenda of his ministry and the NEDC.

He said that the ministry was very happy with the partnership between the state and NEDC.

“We intend to intensify collaborations to fast track ongoing projects, initiate new interventions where necessary and work with stakeholders to make Borno State a model.

“Our visit today is a demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s priority and his administration’s commitment to working in synergy with the state government to accelerate development, restore livelihood and strengthen peace-building efforts.

“Through the NEDC, we are implementing key interventions in infrastructure, education, healthcare and economic empowerment to support the rebuilding process,” Ahmadu said.

Responding, Zulum, who was represented by his deputy, Alhaji Usman Kadafur, expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu’s administration for having the thought to create a ministry whose mandate focused on regional development.

“As a state, we will continue to work with the Federal Government on humanitarian interventions on facilities destroyed by the Boko Haram terrorists.

“Everyone knew that there had been a lot of destruction of lives and property by the Boko Haram terrorists, but with the intervention of NEDC, communities are returning back home and the people are recuperating,” the governor said.

At the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mohammed Mele, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for building a Centre for Studying Violent Extremism for the institution through NEDC.

Mele said that the centre which had since been put to use was crucial for counterterrorism and peace development studies.

The vice chancellor also appealed to the minister to help the University to furnish an edifice under the Centre which was also built for the institution by the Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) but not been furnished.

The Minister directed the Managing Director of NEDC, Mohammed Alkali to go ahead and do the needful as requested by the vice chancellor.

He said that both NEDC and TETFUND were Federal Government agencies, as such, any of them could provide the needed support to the university.

At the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), took the minister round to showcase some of the interventions the hospital benefited from NEDC.

The CMD, who explained how the Sept. 10, 2024 flood disaster destroyed equipment and other facilities at the hospital, put the value of the damages at more than N13 billion.

Ahidjo urged the minister to come to their aid to help them in the area of equipment recovery to enable them to restore the services being rendered by the hospital to the teeming population of the North-East as a reference centre with more than 150 medical professors.

Meanwhile, the minister, who visited several other places, said, “We will go back and put heads together, and for those we can handle immediately, we will surely do that, but for those we cannot handle we will refer them to Presidency for special intervention.”

Ahmadu visited the Maternal Child Care at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric, Eye, and Dental Hospital in Maiduguri, currently undergoing reconstruction through NEDC’s intervention.

He also visited the Central Medical Store (Pharma Grade), which was built by NEDC for the storage of the state medical consumables, and the NEDC state office in Borno under construction, among others.