The Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development of Gombe State, Muhammad Magaji, has lamented the low Internally Generated Revenue in the North-East region and tasked the North-East Development Commission on a sustainable plan.
Magaji explained that Lagos State had a monthly turnover of about N34 billion while the entire region comprising Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Yobe, Taraba and Borno managed to deliver an average of N6 billion.
He made this disclosure in his goodwill message while issuing the six-point for technical discussion during state-level consultation and engagement on the North-East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan, organised by NEDC in Gombe.
“The region is doing N6 billion naira, while Lagos is doing N34 billion naira monthly,” the Commissioner said.
“If you look at that you will see there are issues for us to look at, how are we going to ensure that we move our Internally Generated Revenue to where it is sustainable and the point where it will fund our activities and relegate Federation Account Allocation Committee, to the lower levels,” he added.
The Managing Director of NEDC Mohammed Alkali, who was represented by Omar Mohammed, also said that the NESDMP would address development issues, adding that it would be hinged on 10 pillars.
Alkali said, “the proposed 10-year North-East Stabilisation Development Master Plan consists of 10 pillars. It will encompass the relevant aspect of development plans and policies of Gombe State Government and those of other partners.
“In this meeting, the progress made so far in the Master Plan project will be presented to stakeholders and their inputs will be solicited for inclusion in the plan.”
On his part, Governor Muhammadu Yahaya lauded the commission’s effort in adopting the state’s 10-year development plan.
Yahaya blamed the slow pace of development in the region on insurgency, terming it as an existing clear gap between the educated and uneducated.
“As we all know, the North-East Development Commission is one of the numerous democracy dividends this sub-region is enjoying under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. The Commission was established in 2019 to facilitate the quick recovery and socio-economic development of this subregion following the devastation caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.
“Since inception, the Commission has recorded many laudable achievements, especially in areas of humanitarian assistance, reconstruction and rehabilitation of communities affected by the war. However, to give this young commission a sound footing and ensure that it delivers on its statutory mandates, it is necessary to have a comprehensive master plan that will guide its future interventions,” he added.
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