Vice President Kashim Shettima has restated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to stabilizing and developing the North East region, saying his principal means well for Nigeria.
He made the declaration on Thursday, when he received the North-East leaders of thought at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said: “The President means well for the nation. I have seen the soul of Bola Tinubu; I will not stop saying that.”
The North East leaders presented their North East Development Strategy and Plan document to the Vice President.
VP Shettima, who observed that the delegation was made up of crème de la crème of the North East geo-political zone and reflects the diversity of the region, said” “at their age, they were only fighting for their children and grandchildren and not for personal interests.”
He assured the group that the North East Development Strategy and Plan document would get to the Managing Director of the North East Development Commission, NEDC, within 48 hours.
Transparency
Recalling the visit by the board and management of NEDC who had presented a 10-year master plan for the region’s development to him on Wednesday, VP Shettima stressed the need for transparent leadership.
He stated: “80% of the anticipated NEDC budgeted fund is coming from multilateral agencies, and if you put in place a leadership that is inept and corrupt, you cannot get a dime from these agencies.
“I tasked the NEDC management to ensure that they make tangible investments in three key areas: electric vehicle technology, agriculture, including irrigation technology, and digital education.
“We are all united by poverty, insecurity and destitution. Our problem is not ethnicity or religion. We must unite to fight these common enemies.”
The North-East Leaders of Though delegation led by retired Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Haruna, a former Federal Commissioner for Information and Culture, said; “the organ is a non-partisan and non-religious body bound by common zeal for the North East.”
Members of the delegation included Dr. Bawa Garba; Senator Umar Usman Dukku; Senator Abubakar Halilu Girei; Senator Adamu Muhammad Bulkachuwa; Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar (SAN), former Governor of Bauchi State; Mohammed Abubakar; Bala James Ngilari, former Governor of Adamawa State; Ammuna Lawan Ali, David Garnvwa and others.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
