Rev. Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa, a Kanuri man from Maiduguri, Borno state, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make changes to the North East Development Commission (NEDC).
He believes the commission, which is meant to help the people of the Northeast, is not working well.
Instead, he says it has become a way for certain political groups in the Northeast to benefit unfairly.
Rev. Ali Dikwa thinks President Tinubu should either improve how the NEDC works or get rid of it completely.
According to Rev. Ali Dikwa, a lot of money has been given to the NEDC since President Tinubu took office, but it’s not being used properly.
He says some of the money was taken out of the NEDC’s account without President Tinubu knowing about it.
“In November 2023, the Vice President withdrew the sum of N13 billion from the North East Development Commission account without your knowledge Mr. President”.
This money was supposed to help people in Borno State, but Rev. Ali Dikwa claims it ended up in the bank accounts of a few individuals instead.
“He did so under the guise of giving palliative to masses in Borno State but nothing has been given to the masses, the said N13 billion ended in some individuals account.
Rev. Ali Dikwa also believes that the NEDC is controlled by only three states out of the six states it’s supposed to serve.
These states are Borno, Gombe, and Yobe. He thinks this is because the Managing Director of the NEDC is from Borno and has connections in Gombe and Yobe.
Rev. Ali Dikwa says that governors from these three states have too much power over the NEDC and are only giving contracts to people they know.
He accuses the Managing Director of the NEDC, along with the Vice President and the three governors, of stealing money meant for development projects.
According to him “With these few out of numerous recklessness of the Vice President, the MD of NEDC and the three state governors of Borno, Yobe and Gombe, I therefore recommend setting up of committee by Tinubu”.
Rev. Ali Dikwa suggests that President Tinubu should set up a committee to investigate the NEDC’s finances and remove some of the people in charge.
‘Your Excellency, please setup a committee to investigate the NEDC account thoroughly, dissolve the Executive Directors, the board Chairman and members”.
Rev. Ali Dikwa also mentions two proposals that were ignored by the NEDC. One was about farming projects and the other about helping young people start businesses.
He says the Managing Director didn’t approve these proposals, even though they could have helped the economy and created jobs.
Additionally, Rev. Ali Dikwa accuses the Vice President and the governors of using NEDC money to help former members of the Boko Haram terrorist group, buy cars, and renovate their homes.
He says the governor of Borno State claimed to give aid to many households, but Rev. Ali Dikwa believes this aid didn’t reach everyone it was supposed to.
“He only gave little palliative to selective individuals via card issued by the state government. Mr. President please ask the governor to provide the names and NIN of the people that received the palliative”.
Rev. Ali Dikwa calls on President Tinubu to take action to fix the problems with the NEDC and ensure that the money meant for development in the Northeast actually reaches the people who need it.
