…Says ₦2.9bn monthly release insufficient to meet mandate
By Philomina Brando
The Senate, on Tuesday, said the N2.9 billion monthly allocation to the North Central Development Commission is grossly inadequate compared to its N140 billion budgetary provision for the 2026 fiscal year.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission, Senator Titus Zam, made the assertion while briefing journalists after an interactive session between the committee and the management of the commission at the National Assembly.
Zam noted that the current monthly release, if sustained throughout the year, would fall significantly short of the commission’s total budget, stressing that it would not amount to even half of the approved N140 billion.
He said, “If you give someone that has a budget of N140 billion, N2.9 billion per month, in 12 months, it won’t be up to half of the entire budgetary sum.
“I suppose that is just a temporary package. When the commission finally comes to fruition, much more funds will be released. So we thank Mr President, we thank the executive for dropping something now but look forward for more.”
Despite the shortfall, Zam expressed optimism that the funding would improve over time, describing the current disbursement as an interim arrangement.
He, however, assured that the Senate Committee would ensure prudent utilisation of the available funds by providing necessary guidance to the commission on priority areas.
According to him, agriculture, security and rural development should form the core focus of the commission’s interventions in the North Central region.
“North Central is mostly an agricultural land. We have arable land, we have good rainfall, we have vegetation; there’s policy for agriculture. We need the department of NCDC to take agriculture very seriously,” he said.
Zam further highlighted the security challenges facing the region, urging the commission to collaborate with security agencies and state governments to address the situation.
“We also have a challenge of insecurity. The commission is advised to support the security forces and state governments to complement their efforts towards mitigating the tides of insecurity within the region.
“We also ask them to take rural development very seriously because we are also rural in nature,” he added.
The North Central Development Commission is expected to drive infrastructural and socio-economic development across states in the region, particularly in rural communities.