The Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) has donated N2 billion to the victims of the Maiduguri Monday market inferno in Borno State.
Announcing the donation at the Council Chamber in Maiduguri Government House on Monday, the Managing Director of the NEDC, Goni Alkali, said the Commission’s donation was to assist the traders of the just-reopened Monday to enable them to restart their businesses.
He assured that the Commission would do more than it had done to facilitate and fast-track the rebuilding of the North-East from the ruins of insurgency.
According to him, “Some months ago, the famous Maiduguri Monday Market was razed down by a fire incident where traders completely lost their goods and shops. Today, we came here to assist the traders.
“The NEDC is donating a grant of N2 billion to the traders, he added.
Responding, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum called on the NEDC to key into the reconstruction, rehabilitation, and resettlement programme of the state government for the IDPs to ensure all camps are closed.
“We want the NEDC to help us ensure the closure of all camps for the IDPs to go and earn their livelihoods themselves so that they don’t join ISWAP Boko Haram,” he said.
He urged the Commission to key into the renewed hope of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to facilitate and fast-track the rehabilitation of the country from its challenges.
The governor has expressed the fear that Boko Haram and ISWAP terror may continue tormenting the country if proper security steps are not taken to forestall the recruitment of young children into the terror groups.
“Maintaining security in the country entails maintaining security in the North-East,” Zulum Maintained, adding that the young ones must be stopped from being recruited into Boko Haram and ISWAP to forestall the persistent torment, stating, “Otherwise the country may be wiped out in the next few years”.
The Governor recalled that in 2012, there were over 3.5 million IDPs in Maiduguri camps, but even with the closure of official camps, there are still over one million IDPs in unofficial camps.
