SENATE APPROVES NEDC BOARD NOMINEES

The nomination of President Bola Tinubu for appointments as board members of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has been approved by the Senate.

The confirmation follows the Wednesday plenary review of the following nominees.

Paul Tarfa, chairman for reappointment (North-East, Adamawa), 

Gambo Maikomo, a member (North-East, Taraba), and Abdullahi Abbas, a member (North-West, Kano), are those who have been officially confirmed.

Other members are Tsav Aondoana (North-Central, Benue), 

Mutiu Lawal-Areh (South-West, Lagos), 

Samuel Onuigbo (South-East, Abia), 

Frank Owhor (South-South, Rivers), and 

Mohammad Alkali (North-East, Borno), who was reappointed as managing director.

Others include Musa Yashi, executive director of humanitarian affairs (North-East, Bauchi),

 Ahmed Yahaya, executive director of operations (North-East, Gombe), Abubakar Iliya, executive director for administration and finance (North-East, Yobe).

Before their approval, Mr. Tarfa, the reappointed NEDC chairman designate, guaranteed the board that he would continue to work to carry out its mandate in compliance with the law creating the commission.

The NEDC's managing director, Mohammad Alkali, declared that the board had started and continues to operate on initiatives in the North-East states' education, health, and agriculture sectors, among others.

He praised the federal government for its support and dedication, noting that obtaining financing was a problem while carrying out initiatives.

The North-East Senate Caucus would work with the NEDC board to oversee project execution, according to Sen. Abdul Ningi (PDP-Bauchi).

Ahmed Lawan (APC-Yobe) praised Mr. Tinubu for the nomination and said that the commission was created to look out for the North-East's citizens.

However, he said that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management had placed too much emphasis on the NEDC's work, to prevent projects from being duplicated.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio encouraged the board to also involve state governments and other stakeholders.