Insurgency: NEDC plans to establish rehab centres across region
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Managing Director, North East Development Commission (NEDC), Mohammed Alkali, on Thursday, said plans are underway to establish rehabilitation centres across the North Eastern region to treat trauma resulted from insurgency.
Alkali made this disclosure during a formal graduation ceremony, issuance of starter packs to 198 youths trained on phone repairs, computer education, distribution of Covid-19 preventive items, relief materials for flood ravaged communities, 1000 vials of anti snakebite and improved seedlings to local farmers.
He stated that dwellers most especially youths have suffered negative impact of the insurgency since it birthed, adding that such facility will aid in engendering psychological sanity.
Alkali said, “The commission knows the challenges faced by youths of this state and the North East zone as a whole. We all know the number of youths we have across the North East; some of them are highly educated, some have started to build their businesses and they need our support, for that reason we have reached an advance stage for the establishment of youth development centres. So that our youths will be guided properly to access assistances from anywhere.
“Also in addition to the youth development centres, we are trying to establish rehabilitation centres across the North East to address the menace of the trauma and other psych-social issues impacted on citizenry by the insurgency.”
He added that out of 61,026 candidates that applied for ICT training programme 1,200 were selected.
“However due to present carrying capacity of 6 centres, we admitted only 1,200 in the first batch. I’m happy to inform you that this number, 198 trainees from Gombe state are graduating today.
“To mark the successful completion of the training, each of you will be kitted with free starter packs and the sum of N20,000 to enable you hit the ground running,” Alkali said.
On his part, Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, commended the efforts of commission in alleviating sufferings of people in the region, adding that no part of the country has suffered the extent of damage brought upon the region by insurgency.
Yahaya stressed that the North East Development Commission is time bound unlike the Niger Delta Development Commission, saying that the North East Development Commission (NEDC), may not be in existence in about 10years.
“We live with the people we know their needs, we know their challenges. If we don’t have synergy we will be operating at cross roads. We will continue to work together with the NEDC, the fact that it is time bound it is not like the Niger Delta Development Commission which is open ended.
“NEDC intervention is an intervention that is from time to time. So in ten years time there may not be any NEDC. We need to start planning and enjoying whatever is provided by the NEDC for the advancement of our people,” Governor Yahaya said.
