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Collective Action Only Path to North-West Recovery, NWDC Boss Tells CSOs
The Managing Director of the North-West Development Commission, Prof. Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji, says the insecurity, poverty and infrastructure gaps crippling the North-West cannot be solved by government intervention alone.
Prof. Ma’aji said the region needs a coalition of the willing, comprising civil society, the private sector, development partners and communities, to achieve sustainable development.
This was contained in a press release signed by the Commission’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Abdulrashid Yusuf Safana, and made available to newsmen on Thursday.
According to the statement, the NWDC boss spoke in Kano as Guest Speaker at the Monthly Lecture Series of the Aminu Magashi Garba Foundation and the Kano Network of NGOs, held at the AHBN Conference Hall, Nasarawa GRA.
Speaking on “Accelerating Development in North-West Nigeria: Strategic Partnerships Between the North-West Development Commission and Civil Society Organisations for Inclusive and Sustainable Development”, Ma’aji argued that while the NWDC has a mandate, CSOs provide what the Commission cannot buy: grassroots legitimacy, technical expertise and independent monitoring.
He listed the Commission’s seven priority areas as security, agriculture, education and healthcare, environmental sustainability, industry and energy, infrastructure, and youth and women empowerment, noting that progress in each depends on community buy-in.
“Sustainable development cannot be achieved by one institution working alone. It requires collective responsibility, strategic partnerships and a shared commitment to improving the lives of the people,” he stated.
Ma’aji said the partnership model the Commission seeks will be anchored on trust, transparency and measurable impact, adding that the NWDC’s success must be judged not by projects awarded, but by tangible improvements in people’s lives across the seven states of the region.
