The North East Development Commission (NEDC), says it has inaugurated the foundation laying of 500 Housing Units in Adamawa.
Mohammed Alkali, Managing Director of the commission, Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa among others laid the foundation on Wednesday in Yola.
Speaking during the foundation laying of the housing units on Wednesday in Yola, Alkali said it was part of the commission’s mandate to address developmental challenges in the North-East Zone.
“To realise this, the commission had earlier requested for and received approval from the Adamawa State Government for the allocation of plots of land for the Mass Housing programme.
“The housing programme includes 300 houses in the state capital, Yola and the balance of 200 houses to be spread among other cities in the state.
“The commission, reflecting on its mandate, decided to extend this gesture to replicate same in the other five states of the zone by the construction of 500 houses in each state,” Alkali said.
He said that part of the commission’s mandate included the rehabilitation and reconstruction of destroyed homes and commercial premises of citizens in the zone.
He explained that the stock of houses in the North-East states before the insurgency was about four million, out of which over 500,000 structures including houses and commercial premises were destroyed or irreparably damaged.
Alkali said the commission had equally handed over food items worth millions of naira to Adamawa government.
He said the items to be distributed to people of concern in the state include 10,000 bags of rice (25 kg), 10,000 gallon of vegetable oil, bags of sugar and cartons of spaghetti and macaroni.
He said that they built and donated equipped Infectious Disease Laboratory for testing of COVID-19 and other diseases at the Specialists Hospital, Yola.
“The commission undertook and funded the establishment of two First Class Burn Centres, one at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) and the second at the Federal Medical Center, Yola, to address the incidences of burn injuries and other related matters.
“Today, we are inaugurating and formally handing over the FMC, Yola centre for full operation.
“To make the Burn Center and other facilities of the FMC, Yola more functional, the commission will provide a bore-hole, 500KVA Power Generator and 10,000 litres of diesel for a start,” Alkali added.
He said they, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing will reconstruct the three bridges at Kudzum, Dilechim and Wuro-Ngayandi damaged by the insurgency along the Mubi to Bama/Maiduguri Road.
Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri appreciated the NEDC management for the successes in human capacity development.
He said they made tremendous efforts at ensuring the rebuilding of infrastructure destroyed by insurgency in the Northeast through the implementation of numerous projects that have benefitted Nigerians across the Northeast.
(NAN)