The Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) has donated N2 billion to support the affected traders of the Maiduguri’s Monday Market fire.
The Monday Market, which was consumed by flames on February 26, this year, resulted in the loss of goods, shops, and properties worth billions of Naira.
The Managing Director of NEDC, Goni Alkali, announced the donation during a visit to Governor Babagana Zulum at the Government House in Maiduguri.
He expressed the commission’s commitment to helping the affected traders. He 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 further highlighted Zulum’s promise to rebuild the market, which has been fulfilled.The grant from NEDC aims to offer the traders a fresh start.
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Chairman of the Commission, Maj.-Gen. Paul Tarfa (rtd), emphasised the NEDC’s determination to fulfill its mandate. “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,” he said.
Zulum reiterated his commitment to ensuring that every NEDC donation reached the affected traders.
He commended NEDC for its continuous support to traders, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and the governments of the Northeastern states.
Zulum also urged the commission to address the causes of the Boko Haram insurgency by investing in security, education, health, mechanized 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 stated: “Boko Haram and ISWAP have caused extensive destruction, including over 500 classrooms, 800 municipal buildings, 1 million houses, displacement of 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 occurring in Borno state, according to a UN report.”
Zulum expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided by NEDC, particularly to IDPs in Borno, and he hoped that the commission would support President BolaTinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.