The Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission, NCDC, has warned that the current monthly release of ₦2.9 billion to the commission is far below what is required to implement its approved ₦140 billion budget.
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Chairman of the committee, Senator Titus Zam, gave the warning while briefing journalists after an interactive session between the committee and the management of the commission at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Zam said if the current monthly release is maintained for 12 months, the commission would receive only about ₦34.8 billion for the year, a figure far below its approved budgetary provision.
“If you give someone that has a budget of ₦140 billion, ₦2.9 billion per month, in 12 months, it won’t be up to half of the entire budgetary sum,” Zam said.
The lawmaker, however, expressed optimism that the current release was only a temporary arrangement and that more funds would be made available to the commission as it becomes fully operational.
“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 and the Executive for dropping something now, but we look forward to more,” he added.
The Senate had earlier approved a ₦140 billion 2026 budget for the North-Central Development Commission to fund operations and developmental projects in the region, with priority areas including agriculture, security, infrastructure, health and education.
Zam said the Senate Committee would closely monitor how the funds already released to the commission are utilised, stressing that effective oversight would be carried out to ensure prudence and value for money.
He said the committee would also guide the commission on areas that should receive priority attention in line with the peculiar needs of the North Central region.
The lawmaker urged the commission to focus strongly on agriculture, security and rural development, noting that the region remains largely agrarian but continues to suffer from insecurity and underdevelopment.
“North Central is mostly an agricultural land. We have arable land, we have good rainfall and vegetation. There is policy for agriculture. We need the department of NCDC to take agriculture very seriously,” he said.
On security, Zam said the commission should support security agencies and state governments in efforts to reduce insecurity across the region.
“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 tide of insecurity within the region,” he said.
He also asked the commission to prioritise rural development, saying many communities in the North Central zone require basic infrastructure and targeted interventions.
“We also ask them to take rural development very seriously because we are also rural in nature,” Zam added.
The committee’s position comes amid concerns that inadequate releases could slow down the take-off and implementation of key projects under the commission’s mandate.
The North Central Development Commission was established to address developmental gaps in the region, including infrastructure deficits, insecurity, agricultural decline and rural poverty.
With the commission now receiving its first releases, the Senate Committee said its focus would be to ensure that available funds are channelled into projects that directly address the needs of people in the North Central states.
Zam said while the committee appreciated the initial release from the Federal Government, it expected improved funding in the coming months to enable the commission deliver on its mandate.
The lawmaker’s remarks also underscore growing pressure on the Federal Government to ensure that newly established regional development commissions are not starved of funds after receiving statutory approval.
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