NEDCOM bill to rebuild N’East’s destroyed communities, resettles IDPs

By Ndahi Marama

MAIDUGURI—The North East Development Commission, NEDCOM, Bill before the Senate will address the “comprehensive rebuilding” of communities destroyed by Boko Haram in the North East geopolitical zone, before the over 2.2 million Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in camps return to their respective communities, the Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ndume, has disclosed.

Ndume spoke, Sunday evening, to newsmen in Maiduguri at his Government Reservation Are, GRA, residence, on the rebuilding of destroyed communities; and return of IDPs to their communities in the affected Northeast sub-region of the country.

He said that the NEDCOM bill had scaled the second reading; while the third and final reading will be done this month before President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent.

He said by February this year, the rebuilding of all the destroyed communities will commence under various Implementation and Monitoring Committees, IMMC, in the six affected states in the North East.

“The NEDCOM bill, will be similar to that of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, established by the Obasanjo administration in addressing the Niger Delta militancy in the South-South and South East geopolitical zones of this country,” said Ndume on the import of bill before the Senate.

He added that the reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of the IDPs in 45 camps, will commence in all the captured and recently reclaimed council areas in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. He, however, noted that Borno State had the highest number of 20 destroyed communities, with Adamawa and Yobe states having six and two local government areas respectively destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents between 2012 and 2015.

“The level of destruction by these insurgents was enormous and devastating in the council areas of Kukawa, Ngala, Bama and Gwoza bordering Chad and Cameroon. Some of these communities were completely flattened with explosives and petro-bombs, as all the infrastructure facilities for water and electricity supplies, healthcare, schools and councils’ secretariat complexes were razed to the ground by insurgents,” said Ndume yesterday.

He also assured that before the end of this month, the NEDCOM bill will be ready for President’s assent to become law in addressing the North East’s socio-economic and development problems.