Zulum decries insensitivity of the NEDC towards disaster

Zulum decries insensitivity of the NEDC towards disaster

By: Sam Kayode

Borno Governor Prof Babagana Zulum has decried the insensitivity of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) towards the recent flood disaster which befell residents of maiduguri the Borno state capital in which several souls perished in the water.

He said that the agency is a creation out of the tragedy of insurgency which afflicted the people of the north east of the country yet their management forgot so soon their roots by daring to abandon the people and spending most of their productive time in Abuja outside their jurisdiction.

The Governor who was responding to a visit by the chairman of the agency General Paul Tarfa retired and his management team to the government house recently stressed that he was not happy with the way management was handling Borno and other stake holders within the north east region of the country adding that they must repent from their wrong practices of just doing things and ignoring the authorities on ground.

” For now, what is important to us is the empathy from agencies like your own. Sympathy that stakeholders like yours will show to us and the people of the state. NEDC was created for distresses like this which is an emergency situation and we expect to see you people at the forefront in ameliorating the problems of the people.

“But you have not been up to the tasks even for our emergencies. I am afraid because you are too distant from us. I want to see the presence of the NEDC in Maiduguri instead of Abuja because we are the first priority of the agency.

” I am calling for a deliberate readjustment of the NEDC protocols so we can be carried along and can work together.. Nobody is happy with the NEDC and I believe they know this and should be working hard to change their current posture ” said Zulum.

Professor Zulum reiterated that the only way the NEDC can make its impact felt in north east Nigeria is to concentrate its administrative activities in Maiduguri as enshrined in the letters guiding the formation of the commission.

The Governor stressed that their urgent return to Maiduguri would ease the administrative lacuna between the north east governors forum and the agency.

Earlier the leader of the group General Paul Tarfa had said that he was happy with the achievements of the Governor which the whole world was aware of adding that his hard work and character has earned him good will which he is enjoying now.

“The goodwill you are enjoying now is because of your character and i want you to keep it up. We came to commiserate with you over the sad incident of the collapse of the Alau dam and we want you to take it in your stride.”

General Tarfa maintained that the response from those showing the State sympathy at this time of sorrow is positive and that the people will soon heal from all these damnation.

Also speaking the Managing Director of the agency Mohammed Goni announced that small businesses and petty traders will benefit from a whopping 3billion naira which would help them take off economically after the flood.

He said that his agency was planning its own contribution to assist and would announce such donations in due course.

Zulum decries insensitivity of the NEDC towards disaster