Buhari seeks Senate confirmation for NEDC board members

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Friday, asked the Senate to confirm the appointment of 12 nominees as members of the Governing Board of the North-East Development Commission.

According to a statement signed by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari’s request is contained in a letter addressed to Senate President Ahmed Lawan dated May 3, 2023.

It read, ‘‘In accordance with the provision of Part 1, section 2(5)(b) of the North-East Development Commission Establishment Act, 2017, I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate, the appointment of twelve (12) nominees as tabulated below, in the Governing Board of the North East Development Commission.

‘‘The Senate is invited to note that the tenure of the current Governing Board of the North-East Development Commission will end on May 7, 2023.’’

The nominees include: Barr. Bashir Baale, Chairman, (North-East, Yobe), Suwaiba Baba, Executive Director, Humanitarian Affairs, (North-East, Taraba), Musa Yashi, Executive Director, Administration and Finance, (North-East, Bauchi), Dr Ismaila Maksha, Executive Director, Operations (North-East, Adamawa) and Umar Hashidu, MD/CEO, (North-East, Gombe).

Others are Grema Ali, member, (North-East, Borno), Onyeka Gospel-Tony, member, (South-East), Mrs Hailmary Aipoh, member, (South-South), Air Commodore Babatunde Akanbi (retd), member, (South-West), Mustapha Ibrahim, member, (North-West), Hadiza Maina, member, (North-Central) and a representative from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

Buhari expressed hope that his request ‘‘will receive the usual expeditious consideration and confirmation of the Senate.’’

The NEDC assesses, coordinates, harmonises and reports all intervention programs and initiatives by the Federal Government or any of its Ministries, Departments and Agencies, States; and other Development Partners and for the implementation of all programs and initiatives for the North East states namely Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe.

On May 9, 2019, the President inaugurated new board of the commission. However, in March 2023, two transparency and civil society groups accused its Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali, of mismanagement of budgetary allocations, amounting to N146.19bn.