News Investigators/ The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) says no fewer than 20,000 indigenes will benefit from its Education Endowment Trust Fund (NEDC-EEF).
Chairman of NEDC, retired Major General Paul Tarfa, said this on Friday in Abuja during the inauguration of the NEDC-EEF Board of Trustees (BOT).
According to him, the education endowment fund aims to improve human capital development for the North-East.
He said that the inauguration of the BOT was, therefore, appropriate both in relevance and timing.
Mr. Tarfa noted that since the commission was established in 2019, considerable time and efforts were devoted to providing relief and succor to the large number of communities and people displaced by the activities of insurgents in the region.
“This mandated the commission to chart the new course for expedient and timely intervention in the education sector by establishing the NEDC-EEF to halt the ugly trend of the human development situation in the region.
“With the inauguration of the BOT, our estimate is that by the time the scheme fully takes off, a minimum of 20,000 indigenes of the North-East will be the direct beneficiaries.
“Beneficiaries will be through the award of scholarships at the Bachelor, Master and Doctorate degree levels, ICT and entrepreneurship training for youths whose education was truncated by the Boko Haram crisis.
“And also special scholarships for the vulnerable groups such as orphans and youths who may wish to be actively engaged in sports.”
Mr. Tarfa explained that for regular award of scholarship for graduate and post graduate studies and other lower cadre entrepreneurial interventions, all the 1,028 wards and 112 LGAs in the Six member states would be beneficiaries.
He said that the fund would also offer capacity enhancement for teachers and health workers.
Similarly, students that went through the Safe School Initiative would also benefit from the fund to further their education.
The chairman urged the newly inaugurated BOT to grow the fund through collaboration with relevant public and private institutions, Donors, Agencies, Development partners and other stakeholders that have similar objectives.
Chairman of the (NEDC-EEF) BOT, David Sabo-Kente, commended the Governing Board for the decision to establish the Board of Trustees.
Mr. Sabo-Kente described the decision as a timely intervention and innovation to eradicate illiteracy and endemic poverty in the region.
He said that the NEDC-EEF was a strategic and specialised institution saddled with clearly defined objectives and responsibilities to build human capacity for region and offer citizens equal opportunity in education, amongst others.
He also said that the initiative, which aims to fight the menace of low human capital and illiteracy in the region, was the most important programme initiated by the management under the leadership of Mohammed Alkali.
“Education being very expensive, we will partner with States Education architecture, local and international development partners in the education sector, as well as donor agencies, to achieve our core mandate.
“The mandate of creating an educated citizenry, promoting workforce development, attracting economic development and continuing our rebuilding mission; these, we believe will change the education landscape of the region.”
Mr. Sabo-Kente called for regular interface and collaboration with the management and the board of the NEDC for rapid achievable and measurable success of the activities to be carried out by the BOT.
