By: Yusuf Zubairu.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the North West Development Commission (NWDC), _Prof. Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji_, has said that restoring security in the North-West remains the topmost priority of the Commission.
Prof. Ma’aji made this known while featuring on a two-hour live phone-in Hausa programme, _”Hannu Da Yawa”_, over the weekend on Radio Nigeria, Kaduna.
During the program, the NWDC boss gave a detailed breakdown of the Commission’s intervention plans cutting across education, healthcare, agriculture, environmental sustainability, job creation, and youth and women empowerment.
According to him, without security, no meaningful development can take place in the zone.
_”Helping to restore security in the North-West region remains the top priority of our intervention agenda. We cannot achieve education, agriculture or industrial growth if our people cannot go to their farms or sleep with their two eyes closed,”_ Prof. Ma’aji said.
He disclosed that the Commission will intervene massively in _school infrastructure development_ across the seven states of the region.
_”Our children are learning under trees and in dilapidated structures. The Commission will rehabilitate schools and provide modern learning materials to give our children the quality education they deserve,”_ he stated.
On economic revival, Prof. Ma’aji revealed ambitious plans to establish a _bank to be owned by the Commission_ as a subsidiary, alongside resuscitating moribund companies across the region.
_”We are planning to establish a bank that will be owned by the Commission as a subsidiary and we will also resuscitate other moribund companies within the zone. This will help in improving the economy of the region and create thousands of jobs for our teeming youths,”_ he explained.
The MD further said the Commission is working to attract investors from within and outside the country to boost socio-economic and agricultural development and to ensure the sustainability of the Commission.
_”We are wooing investors from within and outside the country. The North-West is blessed with vast arable land and human resources. We want to turn this potential into wealth,”_ he said.
Prof. Ma’aji called for the support and cooperation of all stakeholders, including governors in the zone, traditional rulers, and wealthy individuals.
_”We need the support of our governors, our traditional rulers and all wealthy sons and daughters of the North-West. The traditional rulers, the wealthy and elites have a critical role to play in ensuring the success of this Commission”_ he appealed.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing the Commission, describing it as a timely intervention to address decades of underdevelopment and called for prayers from all and sundry.
_”We must commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his foresight in establishing this Commission. Now we need prayers from all and sundry to ensure we succeed”_ he added.
Meanwhile, callers who phoned in during the program urged the management of the Commission to discharge its duties with the fear of God and utmost sincerity.
The callers equally emphasized the need for the Commission to place top priority on tackling insecurity, decay in the health and education sectors, and the rising unemployment ravaging the North-West region.
The programme was co-anchored by Mohammed Aminu Abdullahi (Gombi) and Umar S. Fada.
The Acting Zonal Director later after the programme conducted the Managing Director round the premises of Radio Nigeria Kaduna especially areas in dire need of intervention before going into a close door meeting.