Bill seeking establishment of North Central Development Commission scales second reading in Senate

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday passed a bill seeking the establishment of North Central Development Commission (NCDC) for second reading. 

The bill was sponsored by senator representing Benue South Senatorial District and Senate Minority Leader, Comrade Abba Moro and co-sponsored by all the senators from North Central regardless of party affiliation. 

Leading the debate on the Bill, Senator Moro opined that the North Central Zone despite being blessed with several mineral resources that can boost its economy and by extension that of Nigeria is grappling with under development.

He said the Zone has been “devastated and left in bollix by the noxious antics of terrorists, incidents of flood and erosion, insurgency, kidnapping, herder/farmer clashes, poverty, high rate of illiteracy, to mention but a few.”

Reeling out the statistics, Moro told the Senate the about 800 persons lost their lives, with more than 92,000 displaced in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi states due to the 2012 and the recent flood incidences. 

Also he said between 2016 and 2024, 45 villages in Agatu local government area of Bunue State were sacked by suspected militia resulting in the death of over 800 persons with more than 59,000 displaced. 

There has been reported militia attacks in Guma, Gwer West and Gwer East, Logo, Mangu, Jos North, Awe and Takum local government Areas within the Zone. 

According to Moro, the Bill seeks to guarantee equity, fairness and the development across all parts of the country. 

Hence, the Commission when established Moro said will be saddled with the responsibility of receiving and managing funds allocated by the Federal Government and Donors. 

Received funds will be used for the resettlement, rehabilitation, integration and reconstruction of roads, houses, farmlands and business premises affected by flood, erosion and farmer/herder clashes, terrorist activities, construction of large format drainage systems, dredging of rivers Benue and Niger to control flood, erosion and other incidental matters, as well as tackling the menace of poverty, illiteracy and other related environmental and developmental challenges in the North Central Nigeria.

Part of the fund will also be used to rehabilitate displaced persons, and to indeminify them to their former economic status.

Remarking on the Bill, President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio agrees with the sponsors of the bill that North Central deserved a development commission to address the myriads of challenges confronting the region.

He said development in any part of the country was development for all Nigerians. 

The bill has been refered to the committee on Special Duties to report back to the Senate within four weeks.