The Nigerian Senate has directed the management of the North-Central Development Commission (NCDC) to prioritise agriculture and security in the execution of its proposed ₦140 billion 2026 budget.
The directive was given on Tuesday by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on NCDC, Senator Titus Zam, during the commission’s budget defence session at the National Assembly.
The NCDC management, led by Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil, appeared before the Senate Committee to present and defend its 2026 budget estimates.
At the start of the session, the committee moved into a closed-door meeting to review the commission’s proposals.
Briefing journalists after the session, Senator Zam said the committee examined all the budget items and found them relevant and beneficial to the North-Central region.
However, he stressed the need for the commission to prioritise spending in line with its core mandate to ensure tangible impact.
“As a committee overseeing this commission, we have asked them to prioritise their expenditures in accordance with their mandate so that the people of the North-Central region can benefit meaningfully and get value for the resources allocated,” Zam said.
He explained that the commission’s development efforts must focus on critical sectors of the economy rather than operate without clear direction.
According to him, priority areas include agriculture, security, healthcare, education, public infrastructure, and social services.
Zam emphasised that agriculture should take precedence, noting that the North-Central region is predominantly agrarian and that agricultural development has already been reflected in the commission’s budget proposals.
He also disclosed that the commission plans to collaborate with security experts and other stakeholders in the region to support security agencies in carrying out their responsibilities.
Despite approving the 2026 proposal, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of the capital component of the 2025 budget.
Zam noted, however, that the slow implementation was part of broader national challenges affecting the 2025 budget cycle.
The committee subsequently approved the total estimate of ₦140 billion for the 2026 financial year, subject to appropriation, and urged the NCDC management to ensure strict alignment of expenditures with its mandate to guarantee effective development outcomes for the North-Central region.
