Collaboration among the six development commissions across the country came to the fore on Saturday when the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) participated in the summit in Kaduna organised by its counterpart, the North West Development summit.
It was facilitated by the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on the North West Development Commission, in collaboration with the Ministry of Regional Development, and was aimed at charting a clear and coordinated development pathway for the North West region. The summit was aimed at charting a clear and coordinated development pathway for the Northwest region under the newly established commission.
NCDC Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Yiltsen Tsenyil conveyed the solidarity of the commission to the North West Development Commission (NWDC), assuring it of NCDC’s commitment to continuous partnership, knowledge sharing, peer review, and collaborative regional development initiatives.
Tsenyil was accompanied to the summit by NCDC’s Executive Director (Corporate Services), Mr. James Uloko; Executive Director (Administration and Human Resources), Hajiya Bilqis Jumoke Sani; Executive Director (Projects), Princess Atika Ajanah; and Executive Director (Commercial and Industrial Development), Hajiya Aisha Rufai Ibrahim.
NWDC Chairman, Alhaji Lawal Sama’ila Abdullahi explained that the commission is actively engaging stakeholders and designing programmes with broad-based buy-in. He said that the NWDC was not created as an additional bureaucratic layer, but as a strategic institution intended to aggregate regional priorities, harmonise development efforts, and provide a long-term framework for addressing structural development challenges.
A former Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo, who chaired the summit, described the creation of regional development commissions as a strategic vehicle for rapid and sustainable national development, driven by effectiveness, competitiveness, and regional collaboration.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin described the theme of the summit, “Advancing a Coordinated Regional Development for North West Nigeria” as timely and intellectually sound. He noted that development in the 21st century can no longer be accidental or fragmented, stressing the need for deliberate, coordinated, institutional, and focused planning and execution of projects by the NWDC and other regional development commissions.
The Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh said that the creation of the regional development commissions by President Bola Tinubu aligns with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, ensuring that development interventions reach all parts of the country through impactful projects that unlock economic opportunities and foster regional integration. He charged the NWDC to work assiduously in delivering on the President’s mandate.
The summit featured technical presentations by development experts and goodwill messages from the North West Governors’ Forum, the Arewa Consultative Forum, and other regional development commissions.
It attracted key stakeholders from the seven states of the Northwest geopolitical zone and beyond. Participants included political leaders, technocrats, members of academia, traditional and religious leaders, as well as representatives of development institutions.
