By Desmond Ekwueme

When President Bola Tinubu, on July 19, 2023, sought the confirmation of the Senate for his nominees on the Board of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) the people of the region went into wild jubilation, appreciating the president and thanking God for the character, capacity and competence of the nominees.

The people chanted songs of praise, declaring that, at last, they have found peace in the region and expressed joy at the reappointment of Mohamed Goni Alkali as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission. To them, it is a matter of a round peg in a round hole. They know the man, they know his antecedents, they know his track record, his passion for development, his love for his region, his desire to diligently serve Nigeria, Nigerians and his hunger for results.

Members of the Board of the Commission who were confirmed by the senate were Paul Tarfa, a retired Major General from Adamawa State, as Chairman; Mohammad Goni Alkali (North East, Borno), Managing Director; Musa Yashi (North East, Bauchi), Executive Director of Humanitarian Affairs; Ahmed Yahaya (North East, Gombe), Executive Director of Operations; and Abubakar Iliya (North East, Yobe), Executive Director of Admin and Finance. Other members of the Commission were Gambo Maikomo (North East, Taraba); Abdullahi Abbas (North West, Kano); Tsav Aondoana (North Central, Benue); Mutiu Lawal-Areh (South West, Lagos); Samuel Onuigbo (South East, Abia) and Frank Owhor (South South, Rivers).

After their confirmation, the Senate subsequently encouraged the board members, to work in accordance with the law of the country and serve the people of the North East region with fairness and justice.

Two weeks after the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced their confirmation after the Senate Committee screened the nominees for about an hour, the North East Elders and Youth Peoples Forum (NEEYPF) commended President Tinubu for the reappointment of Mohamed Goni Alkali as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of North East Development Commission (NEDC).

The Chairman of the forum, Alhaji Salihu Magaji, who made the commendation in Bauchi when he addressed a press conference, said with the reappointment of Alkali, “the president has proved himself as a master strategist and a true Nigerian patriot whose interest is to build Nigeria that works for all.”

Magaji added that, “The caliber of people appointed by the president, especially a quintessential leader like Goni Alkali has proved what most of us already know about the ability of the president to spot talent and reward hard work. We, members of our forum in the North-east region are happy that the president found our leader, Alkali worthy of appointment as the Managing Director NEDC. Alkali has over the years proved himself to be a reliable leader who cares about the welfare and well-being of the North East and Nigerians across the region and beyond”.

Spanner in the works

But before the board could settle down to commence work, a spanner was thrown into the works by some persons who obviously didn’t want development or a lasting peace to reign in the region through the appointments and activities of the board members. These foes of the North East nurse the fear that the board of NEDC will perform even beyond the expectations of the President and the citizens of the country.

The pull-Alkali-down syndrome drove these enemies of the region to write over 125 petitions against the constitution of NEDC and particularly Alkali’s appointment as MD/CEO within the first one month in office.

Apparently angry that the petitions held no water and weren’t getting their desired attention from members of the public who are still basking in the euphoria of what they termed good appointments of NEDC board members, they took to litigation. This is the present worry of every well meaning indigene of the North East region as there’s anxiety that the litigation could constitute a cog in the wheel of progress of NEDC and the North East region.

Accusation of mismanagement

Accusation of mismanagement of resources was concocted against the innocent members of the board which has been discovered to be the stock in trade of some individuals bent on destroying the relative peace so far enjoyed in the region. Otherwise how can a commission screened and confirmed by the Senate in the last week of July, inaugurated in the first week of August and still trying to settle down into office in September be so falsely accused of mismanagement of resources?

How on earth can anyone claim that the appointments of management staff of the commission was politicized when all the states of the North East region were equally represented on the board and nominated by President Tinubu? For instance the Chairman of the Board of NEDC is Paul Tarfa from Adamawa state, the Managing Director/CEO, Mohammed Alkali is from Borno state while other Executive Directors are from Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe and Taraba. And if those who are after Alkali are referring to the allegations of financial misappropriation in 2019/2020, are they unaware of the fact that the lawmakers in Abuja, during their oversight function, looked into the matter yet found nothing against Alkali and his team?

Equal representation

There’s no gainsaying that the management staff of the commission will naturally follow the same pattern of recruitment and involvement of people of the states that make up the region to prove critics wrong over accusation that the appointments into the management staff is lopsided.

This clearly indicates that those behind this orchestrated plot to destroy the plans, programmes and policies of the Federal Government as they concerns the North East Development Commission are merely on selfish adventure to truncate the agenda of emancipating a region that has suffered more than enough setbacks from the vicious activities of the enemies within. The truth is that those involved in this clandestine activities and shenanigans are pulling the strings of anarchy aimed at shooting down the Managing Director, Mohamed Goni Alkali whose effort in his first tenure under the Muhammadu Buhari administration was flawless.

Testimonies of achievements

From Gombe to Adamawa, Taraba to Bauchi and Yobe to Borno the testimonies of developmental strides and progress are visible even as the people of the region can testify. During Alkali’s first term in office, the records are there for all to see and the people are alive to speak for themselves as Alkali touched virtually all areas of necessities which include infrastructural development, health care, education, agricultural boost and youth empowerment among others despite facing the huge challenge of insurgency on daily basis.

Little wonder all the governors of the region endorsed his reappointment and thanked the President for nominating him for a second term. To whom much is given, they say, much is expected and to whom much is expected, much is given. Needles to say that the Federal Government reappointed Alkali in appreciation of his solid performance in his first term.

One good term deserves another

One good term they say, deserves another. If Alkali had done badly in his first term, certainly he would not have been nominated a second time. This brings us to the issue of his reappointment which his foes are frowning at. For stability and continuity there is a lot NEDC and the people of the region will gain from Alkali’s leadership of the Commission especially when they consider his excellent performance under Buhari. You don’t throw the baby away with the bath water.

You can’t close your eyes to pretend that Alkali isn’t the right man for this job just because of petty politics and destructive sentiments.

If the people say he is the best man for the job and the presidency sees reason with the people, why not join hands with Alkali to make things work for the region in particular and the country at large.

The argument against him for being a Borno indigene is rather laughable, myopic, mundane, sectional and very unpatriotic in reasoning. Yet they forgot that despite the fact that no law says a Borno man should not become the MD of NEDC, yet he who wears the shoes knows where it pinches.

You don’t ask a man in the hinterland to secure a coastal line. Common sense demands that you need someone who knows the terrain, who is on ground and is conversant with the politics and workings of such environment. Borno is the epicenter of the devastation that has befallen the North East in recent years. It is the state that took the deepest of cuts from the insurgents. It is still bleeding profusely.

Borno farmlands were turned into cemeteries just as its farmers were targets for mass burials. Most Borno children have been rendered fatherless even as majority of the women are widows. It has the highest of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) yet those who don’t want a Borno man to be the MD of NEDC refused to take these into consideration.

The presence of Alkali signifies peace, progress and prosperity but some people somewhere within the region aren’t just comfortable with him. The question then is, why are these people bent on puling down Alkali? Why are they scared of his excellent performance and achievements? Whose interests do they represent? The simple and direct answer to these posers is in the famous analogy of a mango tree with ripe and sweet fruits. It certainly attract sticks and stones. Alkali’s foes are certainly working against the progress of North East region and the success story of the MD.

A reminder to the detractors

In case these enemies of the North East have forgotten, perhaps it is imperative to remind them here and again the real reason the Federal Government established the Commission. The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) is the focal organization charged with the responsibility to assess, coordinate, harmonize and report on all intervention programmes, and initiatives by the Federal Government or any of its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), States; and other Development Partners and for the implementation of all programmes and initiatives for the North East states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.

Therefore, whosoever is waging or instigating this cold war against Alkali is indirectly and intentionally trying to sabotage the efforts of government as far as the region is concerned. Again, it must be clearly stated that such individuals are indeed enemies of the region, its people and Nigeria

DESMOND EKWUEME, media practitioner, consultant and public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos.