By AHMED ABBA

The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has donated essential food items and materials to support the training of 1,000 newly recruited forest guards in Yobe.

Mr Muhammed Alkali, Managing Director of the NEDC made this known on Saturday in Damaturu while presenting the items to the state government.

Alkali, represented by Mr Ali Abbas, the state coordinator of the commission, said the items included 100 cartons of spaghetti and macaroni, 80 gallons of vegetable oil, and 1,000 pieces of nylon mats.

He said the items were to aid the ongoing training programme being executed in collaboration with the state and federal governments.

Alkali added that the intervention aligns with the Commission’s mandate of supporting the federal and state governments in addressing insecurity in the region, particularly in forested areas vulnerable to criminal activities.

“We are here with retired Brig.-Gen. Dahiru Abdussalam, Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, to hand over sundry items in support of the training of 1,000 forest guards.

“This gesture is part of our ongoing effort, under the leadership of this Commission, to complement government initiatives aimed at improving security and ensuring peace and prosperity in the North-East,” Alkali said.

Receiving the items on behalf of the state government, retired Brig.-Gen. Abdussalam described the NEDC’s support as timely and historic.

He said the fore‘t guards were recruited to enhance surveillance and deny terrorists and bandits access to forested hideouts across the state.

“The federal and state governments are working collaboratively to secure our forests and communities.

“These forest guards are part of a strategic intervention, and today, the NEDC has become the first interventionist agency to support this noble effort.

“On behalf of His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni, I wish to extend our sincere appreciation to the NEDC under the leadership of Mr Alkali, represented here by Mr Ali Abba. W‘ look forward to more support as the training progresses.”

According to Dahiru, the current phase of training covers only five local government areas, with plans underway to expand the programme across the state.

“This is just the first step. The training is ongoing and will be scaled up. We are committed to seeing this through,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NEDC has continued to provide humanitarian, development, and security support across the North-East to mitigate the impact of insurgency and improve community resilience. (NAN)