By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The North Central People’s Forum(NCPF) received with tremendous
excitement and deep appreciation the news of the successful passage of
North Central Development Commission (NCDC) establishment bill into
law by the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
This highly laudable and landmark bill has come at the most
appropriate time, to assist towards rapid socio-economic development of
the North Central zone of Nigeria, which had suffered great setback and
neglect in the past.
North central states, made up of Plateau, Nassarawa, Kogi, Benue,
Niger, Kwara, and Federal Capital Territory(FCT) is naturally endowed
with arable land for agriculture, huge solid mineral deposits, oil and gas,
long stretch of rivers Niger and Benue, as well as huge potential for
tourism with beautiful and attractive sites such as Zuma rock, waterfalls
and forest reserves, found in several locations in the zone.
In spite it’s huge potentials, the North central zone has remained
largely underdeveloped due to insecurity problems that has bedeviled its
landscape, such as farmer/herders clashes, banditry/kidnapping, flood
disaster, etc. which has hindered its people from engaging in productive
economic activities, such as farming and trading.
Similarly, as a result of constant violent killings due to
farmers’/herders clashes, communal conflicts and other forms of
insecurity, millions of its inhabitants were forced to live in IDP camps
spread in school buildings and temporary structures.
Therefore, the establishment of the North Central Development
Commission, with funds to be received from the federal government and
international donor agencies, offer great opportunity for resettlement of
displaced persons, reconstruction of roads, houses and business premises
of victims of farmers/herders clashes and communal conflict, tackling
developmental challenges of poverty/illiteracy, as well as creating
enabling environment to attract investments into socio-economic sectors
for rapid transformation and progress of the North Central zone.
In view of these huge benefits from the establishment of the NCDC,
the NCPF wishes to express its huge gratitude to the minority leader of
the senate, Senator Abba Moro and other senators from the North central
states, who persistently sponsored the establishment of the bill since the
9th senate until it was finally passed by the 10th senate. Similarly, the
NCPF appreciates the leadership of the senate led by the senate president
Godswill Akpabio, and other senators who supported the passage of the
NCDC bill.
The NCPF also wish to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
GCFR, to expeditiously give his assent to the bill, after its anticipated
concurrence by the House of Representatives, to enable speedy
constitution of the North Central Development Commission, to fulfil its
mandate for socio-economic transformation of the North Central zone.