Bago Seeks Commission Help Against Clashes In North Central Region

Niger State governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has called on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) to assist in addressing communal clashes in the region.

The governor spoke when he received the management of the commission, led by its Governing Board chairman, Barr. Cosmas Akighir, at the Government House, Minna.

Bago, who commended the commission for doing remarkably well, urged it to prioritise the issue of insecurity and communal clashes, especially farmer-herder clashes.

He also advocated a meeting of North Central governors to chart a new course for NCDC with a view to addressing the region’s peculiar issues.

The governor said that such a meeting would enable the agency to fully address the developmental challenges facing the zone.

The governor also noted that the commission has a greater role to play in the area of climate change in the state, due to recurring annual overflows from the four hydro dams, which have continued to ravage communities and farmlands.

He explained that the damages caused by such overflows informed the state government’s decision to demand 13% derivation from the Federal government, as the State houses the four hydro dams that generate power for the country.

The managing director of NCDC, Cyril Tsenyil, in his remarks, said the commission was committed to building a strong partnership based on the Act establishing the agency, which includes planning and implementing programmes for sustainable development across the North Central region.

Tsenyil added that such activities cover transportation, roads, healthcare, education, agriculture, industrialisation, water supply, electricity, and telecommunications.

Dr Tsenyil assured the Commission’s readiness to partner with the Niger State Government to tame the menace of insecurity.

The chairman, Governing Board of NCDC, Barr. Cosmas Akighir said the visit was part of the Commission’s plan to visit member states and introduce its leadership to identify potential areas of partnership.