It remains inexplicable that a nation blessed with so much by nature and whatsoever gods one chooses to believe in can reduce itself to such embarrassing levels of poverty and want. At macro level, this situation replicated in every region, state as well as almost every local government across the length and breadth of Nigeria. The North Central Development Commission was established nearly in September 2025 by an act of the National Assembly with its mandate to, among other things, 'receive and manage funds from the federal government allocations for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, houses and other infrastructural problems as well as tackle any other related damage suffered by the region as a result of communal crises as well as tackle ecological problems and any other related environmental or developmental challenges in the north central states.' The Mandate News recalls the excitement and widespread jubilation which greeted the establishment of the commission as an answer to the extensive under development of the region which has, in the last thirty years or so, been generally neglected in the development frenzy of successive federal administrations even as it suffered severe devastation by assorted natural and man made disasters ranging from yearly floodings and widespread famine occasioned by internecine wars resulting in prolonged hunger and underdevelopment of the region. These were complemented by external attacks by hired bandits and mercenaries of all persuasions, including would be religious conquerors. Judging from the experiences of other regions where similar interventions had long taken root - Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); Oil Minerals Development Commission (OMPADEC), North East Development Commission NEDC), it was no surprise that the Commission was welcome with so much excitement. It came as a bonus when several sons and daughters from the region were appointed into leadership positions in the new commission. The excitement hightened consideriderably when the Senate of the National Assembly in September that year approved N140b for the commission's take off in the 2025 budget, with N100b for capital expenditure while N40b was for recurrent expenditure respectively, as widely reported in Premier Times, The Guardian newspaper and other international media oulets then. The committee chairperson, Titus Zam (APC, Benue), announced the approval after the commission’s Managing Director, Tsenyil Yiltsen, appeared before the senate committee to defend its budget. “After a careful look at the issues contained in the budget and the eloquent presentation by the MD and his team, the committee has approved the budget of N140 billion as presented by the commission,” Zam enthused. That was in September 2025, almost a year ago. Given the commission's mandate, people of the region heaved a collective sigh of relief: emancipation for the region had come, right? Wrong. Since then however, little or nothing has been heard of NCDC. A visit to its corporate headquarters in Lafia, Nasarawa State in April this year discovered that the office, tucked into nondescript area of the town, functions skeletally even as structures in the premises cannot be compared to those of any similar commission in the country. Another recent visit indicated no serious departure from the previous situation. A Director in the commission had, some six months ago promised business men looking to do business with the commission 'low hanging fruits' in the lead in to President Tinubu's celebration of three years in office this May 29. Nothing was again heard from the Director. Worried as the May 29th anniversary approached, the business inundated the Director with calls and text messages. On May 27, the Director sent the following text message to one of the the hapless business men: "Nothing is happening here yet." Events shortly after confirmed the claims of the highly placed official. The Senate Committee Chairman on the NCDC who seemed to take the NCDC matter personal, was quoted explicitly stating that the commission is yet to receive any funding from its initial allocation thus it was forced to suspend its laudable planned regional development interventions, critical infrastructure projects, as well as any strategic operational takeoff initiatives. Sadly, it is within the year under discussion that several states in the region suffered terrible calamities, came under series of vicious attacks from sponsored Fulani bandits masquerading as jihadists, losing hundreds of lives in the process. The question on many mouths is, what happened to the humongous approval, with so many powerful personalities from the Noth central region in the corridors of power, including the six governors, national chairman of the ruling APC, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as well as hundreds of the region's representatives at the national assembly? Dr. David Ortumaga, a medical Doctor who works in the Maitama part of the FCT attempted an answer. "It is a trasedy", he told this reporter last May 30. "It is all about politics. The region is abandoned and the people suffer as their leaders engage one another in the struggle for power, which they do not know how to use even when it drops in their laps. Everyone is struggling to get close to the reigns of power so they can destroy their competitors."

Posted: 2months ago

Author: Chief Editor

Current date: 14 August 2026