Senate Committee approves N140bn budget for North Central Development Commission

The Senate Committee on North Central Development Commission (NCDC) has approved the N140 billion 2025 budgetary allocation for the commission, with a charge to ensure prudent use of the funds when ratified by the Senate.

The approval came after the Managing Director of the commission, Mr. Tsenyil Yiltsen, defended the proposal before the Senator Titus Zam-led committee on Tuesday.

Senator Zam, announcing the endorsement, said: “After a careful look at the issues contained in the budget and the eloquent presentation by the MD and his team, the committee has approved the budget of N140 billion as presented by the commission.”

According to Yiltsen, the N140 billion was the envelope allocated by the federal government for the fiscal year, with N100 billion earmarked for capital projects across the six states in the North-Central zone and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while N40 billion was set aside for recurrent expenditure, including overhead and personnel costs.

He noted that the capital expenditure is not tied to a single project but spread across various initiatives in the states and the FCT, assuring the lawmakers that the funds would be evenly distributed. He further explained that part of the recurrent funds would cover salaries for 200 new staff, pending approval from the Office of the Head of Service.

While commending Yiltsen’s presentation, the committee urged the NCDC to ensure accountability, especially in the utilization of the N100 billion meant for capital projects. It also called on the governments of the six benefiting states and the FCT to provide office accommodations for branches of the commission in their domains.