By Daniel Obaje/Mukhtar Dambatta
The Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Ahmadu, says regional development commissions are not competitors of state and local governments but partners in bridging development gaps.
Ahmadu gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, amid concerns over possible duplication of projects and responsibilities.
“The commissions are not coming in as competitors of state governments or local governments, no,” he said,
The Minister stressed that their establishment was intended to complement existing development efforts.
According to him, the ministry engages state governors to conduct needs assessments and identify priority projects, with local government needs addressed through state governments.
He said the Federal Ministry of Regional Development was established in October 2024 by President Bola Tinubu to coordinate development commissions and formulate policies for regional development.
Ahmadu explained that the ministry emerged from the need to address the peculiar challenges confronting Nigeria’s different regions through coordinated interventions tailored to their respective development priorities.
He traced the origins of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to genuine agitations over environmental degradation, damaged farmlands and polluted waters resulting from oil exploration activities.
He also cited the North East Development Commission (NEDC), established to address the consequences of Boko Haram insurgency, including displacement and damage to education, healthcare, roads and other infrastructure.
The minister said the government subsequently established additional development commissions to address the specific needs of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with the ministry coordinating their activities.
He clarified that the NDDC remained a special commission established to tackle the Niger Delta’s peculiar challenges and was separate from the six regional development commissions.
According to him, although the commissions have different mandates and priorities, their common objective is to promote development and improve the living conditions of people across the country.
Ahmadu said the South-East Development Commission would prioritise industrialisation, economic development, infrastructure and deep gully erosion, challenges he described as peculiar to the region.
He added that the North-East required interventions addressing the lingering consequences of insurgency, while other regions would pursue development priorities reflecting their respective circumstances.
The minister said the ministry had developed a policy document after consultations across the country, giving Nigerians opportunities to contribute ideas and identify regional development needs.
He said the document had been presented to the National Economic Council, chaired by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, and was awaiting approval by the Federal Executive Council.
Ahmadu said the policy would guide the ministry’s activities and provide a framework for coordinating the commissions while ensuring that regional interventions reflected local needs.
“No governor is an enemy of development,” he said, adding that the commissions were established to assist state governments rather than take over their constitutional responsibilities.
He said the government’s ultimate objective was to take development to the grassroots, describing the approach as part of President Tinubu’s social contract with Nigerians.(NAN)
Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi
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