Hussaini Umar
A review of the proposed funding framework for the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) reveals a staggering financial shortfall. Data analysis shows that the commission’s current monthly allocation of ₦2.9 billion will account for less than 25% of its ₦140 billion earmarked budget for 2026.
The figures, scrutinized during an interactive session between the Senate Committee on the NCDC and the commission’s management, highlight a massive gap between legislative expectations and fiscal reality.
The Numbers Behind the Shortfall
A breakdown of the commission’s projected cash flow exposes the scale of the deficit:
- Proposed 2026 Budget: ₦140 billion
- Current Monthly Allocation: ₦2.9 billion
- Projected Annual Revenue (12 months): ₦34.8 billion
- Total Funding Deficit: ₦105.2 billion
- Percentage of Budget Funded: 24.8%
Senator Titus Zam, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the NCDC, confirmed the mathematical discrepancy during an interview with journalists.
“If you give someone that has a budget of 140 billion, ₦2.9 billion per month, in 12 months, it won’t be up to half of the entire budgetary sum,” Senator Zam stated. Data verifies his claim: the annualized allocation falls 75.2% short of the total budgetary requirement.
Strategic Reprioritization: Doing More with Less
Faced with an over ₦105 billion funding gap, the Senate Committee is pivoting the commission’s strategy, mandating a strict focus on high-yield, foundational sectors—specifically agriculture.
Rather than spreading the limited ₦34.8 billion annual cash flow thinly across various projects, the committee is directing the NCDC to leverage the region’s natural geographic advantages.
“North Central is mostly an agricultural land. We have arable land, we have good rainfall, we have vegetation, there’s policy for agriculture. We need the department of NCDC to take agriculture very seriously,” Senator Zam directed.
The Senator’s focus on agriculture aligns with regional economic data, which identifies the North Central as a primary food-producing zone whose potential has been historically underutilized due to infrastructural and security challenges.
The Security overhead
In addition to agricultural investments, the Senate Committee has tasked the NCDC with diverting a portion of its limited monthly allocations toward security interventions.
The mandate requires the commission to financially and logistically support state governments and federal security agencies. This directive aims to mitigate the protracted insecurity that has plagued the North Central for years—a factor that has directly impacted agricultural output and economic stability in the region.
As the NCDC prepares to navigate the 2026 fiscal year, the data presents a clear challenge: executing a ₦140 billion vision with a ₦34.8 billion cash flow. The Senate’s resolution to ensure “judicious spending” of the limited funds will require the commission to aggressively prioritize agriculture and security over broader developmental projects to yield measurable results.
