By Yemi Monday
Vice President Kashim Shettima has lamented that the volume of destruction done in the entire North-East sub-region through activities of Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and insurgents, saying that the zone lost about $9billion to their destruction.
In Borno State alone, which is the epicentre of terrorists’ violence, Shettima said that the volume of destruction is about $6.8billion.
The Vice President, who spoke on Saturday in Maiduguri, Borno State capital while officially presenting N15billon food and non-food items provided by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to the six States in the sub-region.
He lauded the management of NEDC for “prudent management of scarce resources, urging it to consider handling some critical Federal roads linking States in the sub-region in order to facilitate fast return of socio-economic activities.
Vice President Shettima lauded the NEDC’s initiative in costruction of roads, emphasizing that the road network will traverse the most fertile areas of Borno State.
In his brief remarks, the NEDC Board Chairman, Major General Paul Tarfa (rtd), thanked the recently reconstituted Board for the untiring efforts at delivering the mandate given to it to rebuild the North-East sub-region.
Some of the Items presented to the beneficiaries, include rice, cartons of spaghetti/macaroni, gallons of vegetable oil, blankets, mats, clothing materials for men, women and children, among others.
The ceremony was attended by Governors from the Six States of the North East sub-region who were attending the regular meeting of the North-East Governors Forum, as well as members from both the National and State Houses of Assembly from the sub-region.
Some of the local beneficiaries hailed the initiative of the NEDC and Federal Government saying that their days of suffering is gradually coming to an end.