Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday urged the new board and management of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) to prioritise education, healthcare and economic opportunities.
He spoke at the inauguration of the board and management of the NEDC at the Presidential Villa.
A statement by the Director of Information in his office, Mr Olusola Abiola, quoted Shettima as saying: “We must remember that development is not merely about bricks and mortar.”
Shettima, who emphasised the importance of human capital development, said progress “is also about empowering minds, cultivating talent, and fostering an environment where dreams can flourish.”
He added: “The commission can only guarantee the safety of the emerging and future generations if it nurtures the seeds that will produce them.”
The VP praised the commission for its “impressive fiscal discipline and financial transparency”.
This, he said, “resulted in a credit balance of N222.9 billion in the wake of the second quarter of 2023”.
Chairman of the NEDC board, Maj. Gen. Paul Tarfa (rtd), thanked President Bola Tinubu for finding them worthy of service.
He said the board will focus on implementing human capital development projects in line with the “Renewed Hope Agenda”.
Members are the Managing Director, Mohammad Alkali; Gambo Maikomo (Taraba, Northeast), Abdullahi Abbas (Kano, Northwest) and Steven Tsav (Benue, Northcentral).
Others are Mutiu Lawal-Areh (Lagos, Southwest), Samuel Oni Ebo (Abia, Southeast), Frank Owhor (Rivers, Southsouth), Musa Yashi, Executive Director Humanitarian Affairs (Bauchi, Northeast); Ahmed Yahaya, Executive Director, Operations (Northeast, Gombe), and Abubakar Iliya, Executive Director Administration and Finance (Northeast, Yobe).
At the event were Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum; NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd); Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia; Senators Kaka Lawan and Musliu Obanikoro, and Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi, among others.