The Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) has endorsed the proposed N140 billion 2025 budget for the agency and charged it to ensure judicious utilisation of the funds once approved.
The endorsement, made by the committee led by Senator Titus Zam, followed the budget defence presentation by the commission’s managing director, Mr Tsenyil Yiltsen, before the committee yesterday in Abuja.
Announcing the approval, Zam, who chairs the committee, stated, “After a careful review of 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.”
In his presentation, Mr Yiltsen explained that the N140 billion allocation was the envelope provided by the Federal Government for the 2025 fiscal year. Of this amount, N100 billion is earmarked for capital expenditure across the six states in the North Central zone and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while N40 billion is designated for recurrent spending, covering overheads and personnel costs.
He clarified that the N100 billion capital budget is not tied to a single project but will be spread across various initiatives in the six states.
“We have eight thematic areas in terms of infrastructure deployment, which include security, agriculture, mining, environmental degradation, education, health, road construction, among others,” he said.
Mr Yiltsen assured the committee that the commission, under his leadership, would ensure equitable project execution across all the states in the zone and the FCT.
“We will conduct proper needs assessments in all the states and ensure fairness in the distribution of projects across the six states and the FCT,” he said.
He also revealed that a significant portion of the N40 billion recurrent expenditure would pay salaries for 200 proposed staff, pending approval by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
Although impressed by the commission’s presentation, the committee strongly urged the NCDC to ensure the judicious use of the N140 billion allocation, particularly the N100 billion earmarked for capital projects.
The committee further called on the governments of the six benefiting states and the FCT to provide suitable office accommodations for the commission’s branches in their respective states.
