The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has commended President Bola Tinubu for signing into law the bill establishing the North-Central Development Commission (NCDC).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the presidential assent to the bill during Tuesday’s plenary session at the Senate chamber.
“Let me also inform my colleagues that Mr. President has also assented to the North-Central Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024, in order to bring development to the grassroots,” Akpabio stated.
NCDC’s Approval Follows Budget Exclusion Controversy

The signing of the bill comes just days after the North-Central APC Forum raised concerns over the exclusion of the region from the N2.493 trillion allocated to regional development commissions in the proposed 2025 budget.
Before now, the North-Central was the only geopolitical zone in Nigeria without a development commission.
The five regional commissions captured in the 2025 budget under the Ministry of Regional Development are:
- Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) – South-South
- North West Development Commission (NWDC)
- South West Development Commission (SWDC)
- South East Development Commission (SEDC)
- North East Development Commission (NEDC)
The Ministry of Regional Development was created by President Tinubu in October 2023 to replace the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
A breakdown of the N2.4 trillion budget for the Ministry of Regional Development includes allocations to the five existing commissions:
- NDDC – N776.53 billion
- NWDC – N585.93 billion
- SWDC – N498.40 billion
- SEDC – N341.27 billion
- NEDC – N291 billion
It is expected that President Tinubu will submit a supplementary budget to the National Assembly to incorporate the newly established NCDC into the 2025 fiscal plan.
North-Central APC Forum: “Tinubu is a Listening President”
Reacting to the development, the North-Central APC Forum, in a statement by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, praised President Tinubu for addressing the region’s long-standing demand for a development commission.
“The North-Central APC Forum commends President Bola Tinubu for signing into law the bill establishing the North-Central Development Commission,” the statement read.
“The President’s action shows that he is a listening leader.
He has responded to the cries of the North-Central APC Forum, which has been advocating for the creation of a Development Commission for our region—just as has been done for other geopolitical zones—for the sake of equity and justice.”
The Forum recalled its recent outcry over the region’s exclusion from the N2.493 trillion allocated to other development commissions in the proposed budget, describing it as injustice and marginalization.
“For us in the North-Central APC Forum, the exclusion was even more worrisome because, in the last election, after the South-West, the North-Central had the second-highest level of support for President Tinubu.”
Call for Supplementary Budget and Regional Development
The APC Forum emphasized that the establishment of the NCDC would accelerate the development of the region and ensure it does not lag behind other zones.
It further called for the inclusion of the North-Central Development Commission in the 2025 supplementary budget to ensure adequate funding for its projects.
“We also commend members of the National Assembly and other stakeholders, including North-Central leaders, who played different roles in securing this milestone for the region.
“We urge all people of the North-Central to support this noble initiative in every possible way to ensure the Commission fulfills its mandate.”
Previous Attempts to Establish NCDC Failed
Efforts to establish the North-Central Development Commission had previously stalled. A bill for its creation had passed first and second readings in the National Assembly but failed to receive presidential assent before the expiration of the 9th Senate under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
With Tinubu’s approval, the North-Central has now joined other regions in having a dedicated development commission to drive economic growth and infrastructural development.
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