The inauguration of a Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative (PCNI) has been described as the right step in the right direction.

This assertion was made in a statement by the Network for Sustainable Development and Empowerment in Borno South (NSDE) on Monday.

Coordinator of the Southern Borno group, Brig Gen DB Shaljaba (rtd.), said the presidential move has further given hope to the people of the North East Region.

It could be recalled that the PCNI is headed by General TY Danjuma (Rtd).

President Buhari while inaugurating the PCNI said General Danjuma “will lead this Committee comprising members who have been carefully chosen from a wide spectrum of stakeholders. The Committee will be the apex coordinating body for all interventions in the region including those by the public, private, national and international development partners. The Committee is domiciled in the Presidency and is charged with responsibility for developing the strategy and implementation framework for rebuilding the North East region.”

The President also noted that PCNI “would not exist in perpetuity or isolation, rather, it will exist for a period of three years, where after it is envisaged that a long-term regional development framework or entity may be established.”

According to Buhari, PCNI will be funded through Federal, State and Local Government appropriation, as well as funds from the private sector and international development partners.

Reacting to the inauguration of PCNI, Shaljaba said in the statement that NSDE does not only welcome Buhari’s move but that it is also prepared to partner with the Presidential Committee towards achieving its set goal.

He said: “We are ready to partner in whatever capacity the Committee deems necessary to contribute towards the on-going recovery efforts in the North East on the heels of the damaging effects of Boko Haram insurgency, in order for the Committee to get it right in the implementation of the ‘Buhari plan’.

“We urge the Committee to ensure that its activities are comprehensive so that all affected parts of Northeast are catered for.”

•Photo shows PCNI Chairman TY Danjuma.

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