The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has said it is taking vigorous and credible steps to discourage the region from over depending on federal allocations by 2030. 

The commission’s leadership stated this, yesterday, at a consultative meeting with Taraba State stakeholders on the proposed North East Stabilization and Development Master Plan (NESDMP), disclosing the commission has agreed to work round the clock to ensure that the region is self-sufficient on or before 2030.

The commission’s Lead Consultant, Kasim Gidado, who disclosed this, said there are also plans to close Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps spread across the region before 2030.

Vowing to reverse the trend of depending on allocations from the central government through relevant plans that would assist in revamping the agricultural sector, he said the plans are already in the works.

Describing the region as the most backward in the country, he said the ongoing move to develop a master plan for the region, if eventually achieved, would go a long way in taking the region out of the dungeon of poverty. 

Earlier, the commission’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed G. Alkali, said the consultative meeting with stakeholders would be followed by a draft master plan that will eventually be presented for validation.

Applauding the commission for its timely intervention, Taraba State Governor, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku lamented the negative effects of insurgents’ activities in the state.