By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) has described the commission’s monthly allocation of N2.9 billion as grossly inadequate compared to its N140 billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Titus Zam, made the observation on Tuesday while speaking with journalists after an interactive session between the committee and the management of the commission.
According to Zam, the current monthly release, if sustained throughout the year, would amount to less than half of the commission’s approved annual budget, making it insufficient to effectively execute its mandate.
“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,” he said.
The lawmaker, however, expressed optimism that the present funding arrangement was only temporary and would improve as the commission 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 releasing something now, but we look forward to more,” he added.
Zam assured that the Senate committee would ensure prudent utilisation of the available funds by providing oversight and guiding the commission on priority areas requiring urgent attention.
He urged the commission to focus on agriculture, noting that the North Central region is richly endowed with fertile land, favourable rainfall, and vast vegetation that could boost food production if properly harnessed.
“North Central is mostly an agricultural land. We have arable land, we have good rainfall, we have vegetation, and there is policy for agriculture. We need the departments of the NCDC to take agriculture very seriously,” he said.
The committee chairman also identified insecurity as a major challenge confronting the region, advising the commission to support security agencies and state governments in efforts to tackle the menace.
“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.
“We also ask them to take rural development very seriously because our region is largely rural in nature,” Zam said.
