President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday presided over the longest
meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in the history of his
administration at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari and Osinbajo at the longest cabinet meeting on Wednesday |
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting which
started at about 11.00am, was still on going as at the time of filing
this report (9.25pm).
NAN gathered that the meeting was to deliberate on over 25 memos from
different Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
NAN observed that the meeting went for break twice to enable the
cabinet members meet up with some spiritual obligations and other needs.
President Buhari had, before the commencement of the Council meeting, inaugurated the North East Development Commission (NEDC), with
retired Maj.-Gen. Paul Tarfa and Mohammed Alkali as Chairman and
Managing Director/Chief Executive.
Members of the board include Musa Yashi, Executive Director
Humanitarian Affairs; Muhammed Jawa, Executive Director Administration
and Finance; Omar Mohammed, Executive Director Operations.
Others are David Kente, member representing the North East Zone;
Asmau Mohammed, member representing North West Zone and Benjamin Adanyi,
member representing North Central Zone.
Also on the board are Olawale Oshun, member representing South West
Zone; Dr T. Ekechi, member representing the South East and Obasuke
McDonald, member representing South South.
Buhari told members to commence the process of resettlement and
rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons to their original homes
or their new communities to bring social cohesion in the northeast.
According to him, the inauguration of the commission was in fulfilment of the promise he made to the people of the northeast.
Buhari said that the gesture was in appreciation of the massive
electoral support he received from the zone in 2015 and 2019 that
encouraged him to inaugurate the board.
He told the board to shift focus from humanitarian assistance as soon
as possible in all relevant areas to developmental and infrastructural
projects, including reconstruction of roads, houses, educational
institutions and business premises destroyed by Boko Haram.
The president also urged the board members to work out strategies to
key into the African Development Bank’s Special Agro-Industrial
Processing Zones initiative.
He said that the board should also explore other programmes and
initiatives, championed by Nigeria’s development partners, local and
international to further bring socio-economic development to the zone.
Buhari disclosed that N10 billion had been earmarked in the 2019
budget for the smooth take-off of the commission as well as the
rebuilding of the zone.
Urging the members to make judicious use of the fund, the president
mandated the commission to conduct a comprehensive survey on the
magnitude of damage caused by the insurgency.
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