The Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) has donated N2 billion to victims of the Maiduguri Monday market fire.
The market was engulfed in fire on February 26.
Managing Director of NEDC, Goni Alkali, made the donation when the team visited Governor Babagana Zulum at the Government House.
Alkali said: “Some months ago, the famous Maiduguri Monday Market was ravaged by fire, causing traders to lose their goods and shops.
“Today, we are here to assist the traders. The NEDC is providing a grant of N2 billion to support them in restarting their businesses.”
Alkali also highlighted Governor Zulum’s promise to swiftly rebuild the market, which has been fulfilled.
Chairman of the NEDC, Maj.-Gen. Paul Tarfa (rtd), restated the commission’s determination to fulfil its mandate.
He said: “We are here to understand what the state needs from us. We have visited Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and now Borno, and soon we will extend our support to Adamawa and Taraba states. Borno State has made commendable progress in education, health, and agriculture.”
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Governor Zulum promised to ensure the donation donation reaches the affected traders, with the involvement of relevant authorities.
He praised NEDC for its continuous support to traders, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and governments of the Northeast states.
The governor also urged the commission to address the root causes of the Boko Haram insurgency by investing in security, education, health, mechanised agriculture, infrastructure, and roads. He stressed that failure to do so could have severe consequences, not only for the Northeast, but for the entire country.
He said: “Boko Haram and ISWAP have caused extensive destruction, including over 500 classrooms, 800 municipal buildings, 1 million houses, displaced over 3.5 million people, and the suffering of thousands of widows and orphans. They have also destroyed property worth over $6.7 billion, with a significant portion of this damage in Borno State, according to a UN report.”