FG Okays Five-year Devt Plan for North-east

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Minister of State for Finance, Alhaji Yerima Ngama, said yesterday that the federal government had okayed a five-year special intervention package to quicken the socio-economic development of states in the North-east.

According to him, N2 billion has been earmarked in the 2014 budget for Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.

He told journalists in Abuja, that the fund would be used to alleviate the sufferings of people by giving grants to poor women and youths for the acquisition of work tools.

Ngama said: "Mr. President has some initiative in the North-eastern part of the country, particularly the states under state of emergency that have been devastated by insurgency.

"Many people have fled those places and government has been investing a lot to bring peace to the North-east but while government is working on the peace initiative, government also has to look for some of the root causes of what is happening.

"That is why government is working to alleviate the economic condition of the people in the North-east, especially the youth, the women and those people who are engaged in one craft or the other."

The minister further noted that the proposed support was a fallout of the meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and governors of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa States.

He added that in conjunction with the Head of Service of the Federation and the National Security Adviser (NSA), a committee was currently being commissioned to help ensure the effective management of the special intervention fund.

The committee is expected to meet in January to deliberate on strategies to put the region on the path of sustainable development.