Tinubu has good heart, means well for Nigeria – Shettima tells North East leaders

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Thursday restated the Federal government’s commitment to stabilising and developing the North East region, saying his principal, President Bola Tinubu means well for Nigeria.

Shettima had on Thursday received the board and management of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) led by its Chairman, Maj Gen Paul Tarfa, who had come to present the North-East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan (NESDMP) to him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Vice President Shettima said, “The President means well for the nation. I have seen the soul of Bola Tinubu; I will not stop saying that.”

The North East leaders presented the North East Development Strategy and Plan document to the Vice President.

Shettima who observed that the delegation is made up of crème de la crème of the North East geopolitical zone and reflects the diversity of the region, said at their age, they were only fighting for their children and grandchildren and not for any pecuniary interest.

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He assured the group that the North East Development Strategy and Plan document will get to the managing director of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) within 48 hours.

Recalling the visit by the board and management of NEDC who had presented a 10-year master plan for the region’s development to him on Wednesday, Shettima stressed the need for transparent leadership.

He stated: “80% of the anticipated NEDC budgeted fund is coming from multilateral agencies, and if you put in place a leadership that is inept and corrupt, you cannot get a dime from these agencies.

“I tasked the NEDC management to ensure that they make tangible investments in three key areas: electric vehicle technology, agriculture, including irrigation technology, and digital education.

“We are all united by poverty, insecurity and destitution. Our problem is not ethnicity or religion. Religion has become a body of rituals devoid of practical value. We must unite to fight these common enemies,” the Vice President expressed.