NEDC: Terrorists targeting teachers in north-east… over 40% have been killed

Mohammed Goni Alkali, managing director of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), says 40 percent of the teachers in the north-east have been killed by terrorists.

He stated this during a media briefing at the state house in Abuja on Thursday.

Alkali said teachers are scarce in the geopolitical zone as they are the worst hit of the crisis.

“The scarcest product in Nigeria are teachers. In the north-east, over 40 percent of teachers have been killed, we need more teachers,” he said.

Alkali said the NEDC has introduced 18 mega schools “that will take care of education from elementary levels to the secondary”.

“We’re working on 18 schools, three each in the six states. We’re also establishing 18 ICT centres in the states. We plan to train at least 10,000 students every year though the ICT schools,” he said.

He further noted that the lack of quality education is responsible for the growing insurgency in the geopolitical zone.

Alkali added that the commission has embarked on many reconstruction projects, particularly houses and bridges destroyed by terrorists.

He said several road networks have been reconstructed to curb the activities of insurgents.

“We have built at least 1000 houses in Borno. We also reconstructed bridges burnt by Boko Haram,” he said.