Select governors from the northeast, northwest
and north central, geopolitical zones
representing the 19 Governors of the region,
will today (Sunday) begin a three-day meeting
with top executives of the Islamic
Development Bank (IDB), at the bank’s
headquarters in Jedda, Kingdom Saudi Arabia
on rebuilding the North.
This is in continuation of efforts aimed at
tackling the turbulent developmental
challenges facing the Northern part of Nigeria.
The decision to seek critical development
partnership with the IDB was part of the
resolutions reached by the 19 governors,
irrespective of religious and political divides, at
one of their meetings held in September,
2015, in Kaduna and chaired by Governor
Kashim Shettima, which deliberated on ways of
tackling challenges of agriculture, poverty,
education, maternal mortality and other
problems most prevalent in the north than any
other part of Nigeria.
Sunday is a working day in the Islamic country
with Fridays and Saturdays being work free
days.
Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima who is
also Chairman of the Northern States
Governors Forum (NSGF) is leading the
delegation for talks with the multi-billion dollar
financial institution.
Shettima in company of Governors Tanko Al-
Makura of Nassarawa, Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna
State and Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of
Jigawa State, top officials of the New Nigerian
Development Company owned by the 19
northern states, select commissioners of
agriculture, education, post insurgency
reconstruction, rehabilitation and
resettlement, home affairs, economic planning,
Dr Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, former chief
economic adviser to the late President Umaru
Musa Yar’Adua, some technical resource
consultants and facilitators engaged by the
NSGF were received by a delegation of the IDB
in Jedda, yesterday (Saturday).
In a statement yesterday, spokesman to
Governor Shettima, Malam Isa Gusau, who is
also part of the delegation, said that at the
opening of discussions in Jeddah today, the
governors are expected to meet with the
President, Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali and Vice
President, Operations of the IDB Group at the
bank’s headquarters and are scheduled to meet
on Nigeria-IDB cooperation with a wide range
of possible areas of collaboration to be
discussed.
“In subsequent days, the governors are
expected to hold different meetings with the
Islamic Corporation for the Development of
the Private Sector (ICD), International Islamic
Trade Finance Corporation, ITFC and the Islamic
Corporation for the Insurance of Investment &
Export Credit (ICIEC), Islamic Research and
Training Institute (IRTI), Islamic Solidarity Fund
for Development (ISFD) all of which bodies
under the IDB, with a view to reaching a
developmental partnership on different sectors
in the northern Nigeria,” the statement read in
part.
Established about 41 years ago, the Islamic
Development Bank (IDB) is an international
financial institution involved in equity capital,
finances productive projects for the economic
and social development of 56 countries who
are members of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation and supports Muslim communities
including those in non-member countries,
through special intervention funds set aside by
the bank for international cooperation.
The bank also promotes foreign trade in capital
goods; provides technical assistance to member
countries; and extends training facilities for
personnel engaged in development activities in
Muslim populated communities around the
world.
LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that as a fallout of
the Boko Haram insurgency that has ravaged
parts of the north of the country, leading to
loss of life and destruction of property
including critical infrastructure, there has
arisen the need for redoubling of efforts
towards the reconstruction of the region.
Last Monday, the federal government launched
a Recovery and Peace Building Assessment
(RPBA) programme for the states in the North
East in furtherance of its determination to
rebuild and rehabilitate the region.
The federal government-led initiative, which is
in conjunction with the World Bank, the
European Union and the United Nations, would
be conducted within the framework of the Joint
EU-UN-WB Declaration on international crisis
recovery cooperation with the North-East states
of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba and
Bauchi.
Special Adviser to the President on Social
Investments, Mrs Mariam Uwais, said the RPBA
would essentially build upon existing initiatives
and body of work on the North East, produced
at the federal and state levels. They include the
Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE)
and the North East States Transformation
Strategy (NESTS).
In August 2015, Senate President, Dr. Bukola
Saraki, solicited the assistance of the
international community for efforts by the
federal government to end the insurgency in
the North-eastern part of the country, pointing
out that such support would also help bring
succour to the Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) in the area.
Saraki made the call in separate meetings with
the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael
Zenner and his Spanish counterpart, Alfonso
Barnudvo Sdbastian De Erice, who paid
courtesy visits to him in Abuja.
He stated that the humanitarian situation and
level of destruction in the area ravaged by the
insurgents required urgent and wide support
across the world, adding that it was clear to him
after leading a delegation of the Senate to visit
the IDPs camps in Maiduguri for an on-the-spot
assessment that the federal government alone
could not foot the bills for total rehabilitation
of the people and rebuilding of infrastructure
damaged as a result of the activities of the
insurgents.
https://leadership.ng/news/496933/north-rebuilding-govs-islamic-bank-open-talks-jedda

Nice one

Let all hands be on deck and utilize all opportunities towards development. I hope it come with empowerment for individuals and youths. Time to go rewrite my business plan...waiting for the northern governors to be back first.

I wish them success

Good