By Joke Kujenya
NIGERIA’s PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has signed the bill establishing the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) into law.
He noted that the initiative was to boost economic revitalisation and infrastructural development in North-Central Nigeria.
The move comes after persistent calls for a legal framework to address developmental challenges in the region.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the presidential assent during Tuesday’s plenary, revealing that Tinubu had also approved the creation of a federal polytechnic in Rano, Kano State, and a federal university of health sciences in Tsafe, Zamfara State.
However, Akpabio did not specify when the president signed the bills.
The NCDC is expected to focus on reconstruction, rehabilitation, and economic advancement across the North-Central region.
Announcement says the commission will oversee interventions in infrastructure, security, and human capital development, similar to the North-East and South-East Development Commissions already in operation.
Tinubu’s latest legislative approvals follow his assent to a bill establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology in Ogoni, Rivers State.
The president, during a signing ceremony at the Presidential Villa on Monday, highlighted the significance of the institution in addressing environmental degradation and expanding educational opportunities in the Niger Delta.
“For decades, the Ogoni people have been at the forefront of the fight for environmental restoration and sustainable development, shaping both national and global conversations on these critical issues,” Tinubu said.
The Ogoni region has long been synonymous with environmental activism, particularly due to oil exploration’s devastating impact on its ecosystem.
In the early 1990s, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), led by the late Ken Saro-Wiwa, gained international attention for its campaign against oil pollution by multinational corporations.
The movement’s protests led to prolonged tensions with the Nigerian government.
Tinubu’s administration has previously approved the establishment of the North-West Development Commission and the South-East Development Commission, both aimed at addressing economic disparities and infrastructural gaps in their respective regions.
With the creation of the NCDC, stakeholders hope for targeted development efforts in North-Central states, which have been grappling with insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, and economic stagnation.
