The Nigerian Senate has urged management of North-Central Development Commission(NCDC) to give priority on investments in agriculture and security in implementation of its 2026 budget.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on NCDC, Senator Titus Zam made the call, when the management of NCDC appeared before the committee to defend its 2026 budget estimates.
The committee on commencement of the budget defence, went into a close session to consider the budget of the commission.
After the close session, Senator Zam told newsmen that the Committee considered all the items on the Commission’s estimates and found them very relevant and useful for the North-Central region.
He said, “As a committee overseeing this commission, we have requested them to prioritise their expenditures in line with their mandate so that people of north-central region will benefit from their services and have value for resources that are allocated to them”.
According to him, the specific development mandate of the commission cannot just be in vacuum, it has to fill certain sectors of the economy.
He listed the sectors to include agriculture security, health education, other public infrastructure and also social services that are needed by the people.
“You know that North Central is mostly agricultural and so agriculture must take a pride of place and it has been so embedded in their budge.
“They are also thinking about working with security experts and other stakeholders in the north-central region to see to it that they support security agencies to deliver on their mandate,” he said.
Senator Zam however, said the committee was dissatisfied with implementation of capital component of 2025 budget.
He, however, noted that it was a national challenge as 2025 budget had implementation issues.
According to him, the committee considered the total estimate of N140 billion for 2026 financial year of the commission and gave approval for utilisation of the fund due to be appropriated for good of the region.
“This is the resolution of the committee, we hereby approve the total figure of N140 billion for the 2026 financial year for the commission,” he said
The NCDC management, led by Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil was urged to ensure that expenditures align with the commission’s mandate to ensure the people of the North-Central region receive value for the allocated resources.