The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) will develop a plan for the rebuilding of northern Nigeria, the President, Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, has said. He spoke at IDB’s headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when he received five governors from the Northern Nigerian States Governors’ Forum (NGSGF).
The delegation, led by Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, included Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State, Umar Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State and Muhammad Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State. Ali said: “We will work to come up with a comprehensive and constructive plan to support northern Nigeria. “We will start with education, particularly bilingual education and other areas, such as job creation.
“Before you leave Jeddah, I will like to have a list of your priorities, from education to power, agriculture and so on.” Governor Shettima said: “In Nigeria, poverty wears a northern face.” He said the purpose of their visit was to explore avenues to enhance development.
The governor said the region suffered joblessness, low access to education and health care, despite abundant resources. His words: “It’s a giant with a feet of clay.”
Governor El-Rufa’i told the IDB president that the Northeast required intervention in education, electricity and poverty reduction, adding that insurgency caused poverty.
IDB’s Vice President (operations) Dr. Mansur Muhtar said IDB would look into areas of intervention, particularly in the development of infrastructure, which is a priority in the bank’s 10-year development strategy.
He thanked the delegation for visiting IDB, hoping that it will create a partnership to mobilise resources for the region’s development.
