November 06, (THEWILL) – The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has disclosed that the North East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan (NESDMP) is devised to fulfil its mandate, comprising ‘Protected Environment’ as one of its eleven key pillars, which is categorised into Natural Ecology Conservation, Protection of Species and Ecological Communities, Environmental Protection, Biodiversity, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, and Waste Management.
Speaking, Mohammed Goni Alkali, Managing Director, NEDC, is currently attending the ongoing 3rd Annual International Forum on the Development of the Lake Chad Basin with the theme: “Enhancing Local Governance and Social Cohesion for Socio-Economic Development, and Food Security in Changing in the Lake Chad Region” in N’Djamena.
Alkali and his entourage visited the Lake Chad Basin Commission Headquarters, LCBC at N’Djamena, Chad where the delegation met with the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Amb. Mamman Nuhu, who is also the Head of Mission Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) was considered key.
He emphasised that the LCBC’s strategies for recovering the lake Chad basin are similar to those of the NEDC in the recovery of the Northeast region as contained in the Master Plan.
He said the Commission is intensifying the sustainable implementation of programmes tailored to the specific needs of the six states in the region, supplementing humanitarian interventions and disaster support.
Alkali stressed that North-East as a region presents a compelling case for environmental concern due to its vast landmass, desertification, pollution, and climate change, as well as the shrinking of Lake Chad, ungoverned spaces, insurgency, and the attendant fragility these have occasioned.
He noted that this fragility undermines food security and security of lives and property. Agriculture and trade, the two most important livelihood activities sustaining the region, have been greatly undermined.
“The region’s heightened herdsmen-farmers conflict is largely ascribable to environmental degradation, Lake Chad’s recession, and human-induced activities such as mining, deforestation, irrigation, and dam constructions, it is argued.
“In light of the aforementioned issues, the North East Development Commission, NEDC, has continued to disseminate its North East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan to Development Partners globally for effective implementation.
“The NEDC views the LCBC as a strategic partner in the quest to actualise its developmental programmes as the regional body’s activities strongly impact on the States of the North East”, he noted.
Responding, the Executive Secretary, LCBC, Amb. Mamman Nuhu said: “We certainly have a lot to do together, so at our technical level we will come up with recommendations on how we can work together and form stronger partnership, in order to pitch up the affected period already under Prolac which is called (in support of MCRP) it is called Prolac in all the other countries except Nigeria where it is in support of MCRP and where we have been working closely with all the others, where we have the regional help.”
Amb. Nuhu also pointed out that there is a window for everybody in terms of the 9 pillars out of the 40 strategic objectives of the regional stabilisation strategy, every body can come in with a plan.
“The only limitation we have is funding otherwise it is an excellent plan and it is adaptive. It is also inline with the Lake Chad Basin Commission Regional Stabilization Strategy which was developed in the year 2018,” he said.
Among the MD/CEO’s delegation were the Executive Director Adminn and Finance Dr. Abubakar Garba Iliya, Prof. Umar Bobboi, National Cordinator MCRP, Prof. Mohammed Abbagana, Head, Research and Planning, Mohammed Umar Sani, Head, Resettlement and Early Recovery, and Naomi Abwaku of the Commission’s Corporate Services Department.
