President Bola Tinubu recently signed into law the bill creating the North Central Development Commission (NCDC). The Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the signing of the bill in a recent session in the Senate chamber. He said: “Let me also inform my colleagues that Mr. President has also assented to North-Central Development Commission establishment bill 2024, in order to bring development to the grassroots. The exercise came on the heels of a similar action by the President for the South East Development Commission Act on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.”

The signing of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) Bill into law is laudable. It will also stimulate uniform and accelerated regional development in the country. The existence of the commission in all the six geo-political zones in the country will strategically address the infrastructural deficiencies, economic underdevelopment, and security challenges confronting the regions.

The mandate of NCDC include receiving and managing funds from the federation account and international donors for the settlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, houses and business premises of victims of insurgency as well as tackling poverty, illiteracy, ecological problems and any other related environmental or developmental challenges in the North-Central states.

The birth of the NCDC is long overdue, given the existence of similar bodies in the other five regions of the country. The people of the North Central geopolitical zone have long hoped and waited for this crucial moment. The region has of late been the hotbed of ethnic, communal and religious crises, as well as farmer/herder clashes that have resulted in loss of lives and destruction of properties. The establishment of the development agency to restore normalcy in the region and drive its reconstruction is therefore right and proper. The NCDC represents hope for the distraught people of the region and their communities which have for many decades suffered immeasurable destruction and severe losses.

The North Central region, comprising Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau states and some parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has suffered much neglect, despite being rich in agricultural and mineral resources. The area is challenged by infrastructure underdevelopment, insecurity, economic instability, poor governance and lack of investment. The NCDC will urgently rise up and address these challenges. The commission should focus on key areas such as infrastructure development, economic diversification, security enhancement, youth empowerment and other areas critical to the development of the region. It should also pay adequate attention to agriculture. Farmers in the North Central zone need to be assured of safety for them to be able to visit their farms. Achieving this requires addressing the perennial farmer/herder clashes and communal crisis in the region.

The NCDC should also invest in social development, particularly in education and healthcare, considering that some parts of the region still suffer from inadequate educational facilities and declining healthcare facilities. All the regional development commissions must be agents of socio-economic development in their domains. The regional development commissions are federal government intervention agencies charged with formulation of policies and guidelines for the development of their respective areas. They will also identify factors inhibiting the development of the regions and assist the state governments in the formulation and implementation of development policies.

Let all the development commissions work for the development of their zones in their specified areas. They must work to achieve their vision and targets. Each region in the country has its peculiar challenges which must be addressed. The one in the South-East should tackle insecurity, unemployment and underdevelopment in the region. The North-West and North-East Development Commissions should tackle terrorism, insurgency, banditry and rising out-of-school children challenge. At the same time, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) should ensure the overall development of the South-South, while the NCDC should reposition the states and communities in the North Central.

Those appointed to oversee the management of the development commissions must see it as a call for service. It is not an avenue to amass wealth. Commissions should be strictly for the development of the various zones and not for political patronage. Let them learn from the mistakes of the NDDC and steer clear of controversies. There should be transparency in the operations of the commissions. Money allocated for projects must be judiciously utilized. Government should adequately fund the commissions.