The Nineteen Seventeen Northern Consensus Movement (NSNCM) has commended President Bola Tinubu for renaming the Ministry of Niger Delta Development. Now known as the Ministry of Regional Development, it will oversee the activities of all the regional development commissions – Niger Delta Development Commission, South East Development Commission, North East Development and North West Development Commission.
In a statement at the weekend, NSNCM’s National President, Awwal Abdullahi Aliyu said: “We support this new Ministry, Mr. President and we look forward to a pioneer and robust team to lay a solid foundation that will evolve with best practices with time.
“We, the Nineteen Seventeen Northern Consensus Movement(NSNCM) for peace, unity, empowerment and development initiative, are an amalgamation of 596 registered associations of Northerners from the 19 northern states and associations of northerners resident in the 17 southern states.
“This is a welcome idea, Mr. President, supervising Ministry over the various development commissions of the Niger Delta, South East, North East and North West zones will spur prudent budgeting and funds management across board.
“Our aims and objectives are basically to harmonise and integrate the northern region and cross-fertilise all the peace, socio-political, cultural and economic values for the benefit of the regions and Nigeria by extension”.
Aliyu, who is also the Sarkin Yakin Kayan Babban, said that developmental yard sticks can be generated where specific targets could be measured and evaluated across board.
He further said: “Cross fertilization of bespoke peculiarities that arise from other commissions with their solutions could be adaptable as solutions for others”.
The movement explained that “tangible projects that affects human growth can be replicated in all commissions with a view of harmonising and bringing/bridging the country as one giant economic unit.
“Each regional commission will be saddled to explore, exploit and develop the naturally occuring mineral resources. Be it minerals from the north to crude oil in the south, aquaculture to agriculture, livestock to forestry”.
The statement added: “The Ministry will come up with harmonised blue prints for primary, secondary and tertiary processing hubs with a view of eventual industrialisation, job security, growth and peace to the country.
