The Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum; the Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Cornelius Oyefolu Ojelabi; the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig-Gen Muhammad Buba Marwa (retd); former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Olatunde Obanikoro; and the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, were among the special guests that witnessed the swearing-in of board members of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) on Wednesday, 9 August, 2023.
The event took place at the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja. The swearing-in ceremony was performed by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima.
Speaking at the ceremony, Senator Shetimma urged the members to prioritize access to education, health care delivery and economic opportunities for the North East people.
He urged the NEDC Board members to see their appointment as call to serve the people hence they must be prepared to make the people of the region feel the positive impact of the purpose for which the Commission was established.
Senator Shetimma urged the people of the region to support the board members in delivering on their mandate noting that the task of developing the region is a collective one.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the NEDC board, Maj. Gen. Paul Tarfa (rtd), thanked President Bola Tinubu for finding them worthy of service, assuring that the present board will among other things, focus on implementing human capital development projects in line with the “Renewed Hope Agenda”.
Members of the inaugurated board present at the event are: the MD of the Commission, Mohammad Alkali; Gambo Maikomo, member, North-East, Taraba; Abdullahi Abbas, member, North-West, Kano; Steven Tsav, member, North-Central, Benue; Mutiu Lawal-Areh, member, South-West, Lagos; Samuel Oni Ebo, member, South-East, Abia; Frank Owhor, member, South-South, Rivers; Musa Yashi, Executive Director, Humanitarian Affairs, North-East Bauchi; Ahmed Yahaya, Executive Director, Operations, North-East, Gombe; and Abubakar Iliya, Executive Director, Admin and Finance, North-East, Yobe.
