The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has concluded arrangements to provide health insurance scheme for vulnerable households and individuals in the Northeast region.
The Managing Director and CEO of the Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, said the plan would go a long way to support families in the region who were victims of the Boko Haram insurgents’ activities.
Alkali, who disclosed this during a meeting with the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), also said his Commission would partner with NPC to address humanitarian problems affecting the region especially regarding the menace of out of School Children, Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) and victims of flood disasters.
Alkali praised the Management of the NPC led by its Chairman Nasir Isah Kwarra for providing geo-spatial data of the country’s roads, streets, Communications masts, bodies of water and demographic mapping that could assist the NEDC in the implementation of its Master Plan.
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Alkali said the Commission had over time engaged the services of consultants and researchers to implement its development programmes in the region, promising that NEDC would henceforth work with NPC to address critical humanitarian challenges in the Northeast.
He said the NEDC would be ready to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the NPC to address challenges of out of school children, girl child education, Almajiris phenomenon and how youths in the region could benefits from training and skills acquisition programme organised and sponsored by the NEDC.
The NEDC boss said in line with its mandate, his commission developed a 10 year Master Plan to address poverty, displacement of people by insurgents and flood disasters, youth restiveness, inadequate infrastructures and climate vulnerability amongst others.
He commended the NPC for offering to collaborate with NEDC to address the challenges and make life more meaningful to people in the region, saying all the wards, and local governments councils in the six states of the region have been captured for specific programmes to address their needs.
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Kwarra said the team decided to visit the NEDC to open doors of collaboration and support in critical areas of data and demographic information that would assist the Commission to deliver on its mandate.
He said: “Our decision to visit NEDC is germane as a body charged with the responsibility to generate data for socio-economic and demographic activities in the country, we are obligated to share experiences with your commission.
“These experiences are important to planning and execution of development programmes. Right now the NPC is on a nationwide campaign for birth registration. And as for the conduct of population census, we are on top of the game.
“We have geo-spatial data of the country on roads, streets, Communications masts, bodies of waters and demographic mappings on houses, and communities. This information will go a long way to assist your commission to deliver on its mandate.
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“There is urgent need to address issues of poverty, out of school children, girl child education, internally displaced persons, inadequate infrastructures, climate change and environmental vulnerability. The NPC has data and other necessary information that your commission could leverage on to deliver services and programmes to the people in the Northeast region.
“We are also preparing to organise a regional summit on out of school children and the Almajiris question. We hope to bring in the Northeast governors, the Ulamas and other religious leaders to address the challenges. I believe that these are practical ways we can address the problems”.
The Nation