The Nigerian Senate, through its committee onthe North Central Development Commission (NCDC), described the N2.9 billion monthly allocation being given to the commission as grossly inadequate when compared to the N140 billion budget size earmarked for the commission in 2026.
Speaking to journalists after an interactive session between the committee and management of the commission, Senator Titus Zam, in his capacity as Committee Chairman, said the N2.9 billion monthly allocation being given to NCDC will, at the end of the year, not be up to half of the projected budgetary allocation for it.
He posited that the N2.9 billion monthly allocation from the N140 billion budgetary appropriation is a temporary package that would be improved upon.
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“If you give someone who has a budget of 140 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, many more funds will be released. So we thank Mr President, we thank the executive for dropping something now, but look forward to more,” he stated.
He, however, noted that the Senate Committee will see to judicious spending of the little allocation being collected by the commission now by guiding it on areas that should be focused on.
“North Central is mostly agricultural land. We have arable land, we have good rainfall, we have vegetation, and there’s a policy for agriculture. We need the Department of NCDC to take agriculture very seriously.
“We also have a challenge of insecurity. The commission is advised to support the security forces and the state government 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 disclosed.
