NEDC Projects Across North-East Now Worth About N1.5 Trillion
The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has put the combined value of its current and upcoming projects in the North-East at approximately N1.5 trillion, according to its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Alkali.
Alkali spoke on Monday in Abuja at the start of the NEDC 2026 ISO Executive Management Retreat, where he outlined the commission's growing investments in infrastructure, electric mobility and renewable energy.
He said physical projects already under construction are valued at about N800 billion, covering roads, bridges and other infrastructure in the six states that make up the North-East.
That figure is expected to climb to around N1.5 trillion as more projects are brought on board in the days ahead, he added.
A total of N400 billion of the projected spending is set aside for two flagship energy and transport schemes: N200 billion for an electric vehicle initiative and another N200 billion for mini-grid deployment across the region.
The mini-grids will deliver a combined 50 megawatts of capacity, while the electric vehicle project is due to be commissioned in Maiduguri in the coming weeks.
Alkali asked the senior management staff at the three-day retreat to take a hard look at the commission's key projects and come up with suggestions that could strengthen how they are carried out.
He singled out the electric vehicle and mini-grid schemes for close attention in the group sessions.
"Let the e-vehicle be number one, discuss it, tear it and come up with what needs to be done. Really, we'll look at it. Second, the mini-grid is another project," he said.
The NEDC chief also said roughly 70,000 solar-powered street lights were installed across the North-East between 2024 and 2025.
Another 60,000 solar street lights are to be fitted in 2026, which would push the projected total past 130,000 installations in the region.
Alkali, however, warned that the commission's rising profile and recognition meant its management and staff carried a heavier duty to keep its gains intact.
He described the commission's five ISO certifications as just a starting point, noting that holding on to and sustaining those standards would matter more over time.
Staff were urged by the NEDC boss to safeguard the value built through the certifications and other institutional reforms, saying the systems must keep delivering benefits to the commission and to the people of the North-East.
Earlier, the Acting Head of the Governance and Compliance Service Reforms Unit, Fatima Dalhatu, explained that the retreat was designed to shift the commission past simply knowing ISO standards towards owning the systems.
In her view, the Integrated Management System ought to be seen as part of the commission's everyday work rather than a separate entity, serving as a tool to sharpen how it fulfils its mandate.
Dalhatu said the commission's master plan sets its strategic direction, while the Integrated Management System supplies the discipline needed to follow through on that direction.
She noted that even though the Governance and Compliance Service Reforms Unit coordinates the systems, it falls to senior management to own and apply them, so that the commission does not end up with "certificates on the wall" that produce no real institutional change.
According to her, the end goal is to embed quality, accountability, integrity, safety and sustainability into the commission's organisational culture.
Dalhatu added that the retreat's success would be judged by whether participants go back to their duties with a clear grasp that the ISO system belongs to the whole commission, not just the Governance and Compliance Service Reforms Unit.
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