- demands equitable representation of member states
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
North Central People’s Forum (NCPF) has faulted the composition of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), noting that it lacks equal representation from member states.
NCPF, a non-partisan coalition of stakeholders from the seven states of the North Central geopolitical zone, including the FCT observed a concentration of leadership and institutional power in one axis in geopolitical zone, stating that such obviously undermines the delicate ethno-political balance that has sustained harmony in the North Central region.
Khaleel Bolaji, the Secretary General, NCPF, in a statement, on Friday, extended profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for assenting to the creation of the NCDC as part of a broader strategy to bring development closer to the people through regionally focused commissions.
“However, we are deeply concerned that the composition of the NCDC’s Board and Executive Management does not reflect the principles of inclusion, balance, and fairness across all states in the zone.
“The North Central region comprises two broad blocs; The Upper North Central which consists of Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa States, historically the old Benue-Plateau State; and The Lower North Central: Niger, Kogi, Kwara States, and the FCT.
“It is politically imperative that leadership and strategic positions within the Commission be equitably distributed between these blocs. At present, both the Chairman and Managing Director, as well as the Commission’s headquarters, are concentrated in the Upper North Central bloc.
“This concentration of leadership and institutional power in one axis obviously undermines the delicate ethno-political balance that has sustained harmony in the North Central region. Even more troubling is the apparent exclusion of the FCT, as the individual purportedly representing the FCT is reportedly from Benue State,” said.
He appealed to President Tinubu to intervene and ensure a more equitable representation in the leadership structure of the NCDC. “We specifically recommend that since the Act establishing the Commission mandates the Chairmanship to rotate alphabetically beginning with Benue State, the Managing Director position should be allocated to a state within the Lower North Central bloc (i.e., Niger, Kogi, Kwara, or the FCT).
“That as a general standing rule therefore, both the Managing Director and Chairmanship position should not come from the same bloc at any given time in order to achieve the desired balance and equity.”
The Coalition also demanded that the number of Executive Directors be increased to seven (7), including the Managing Director, with each state and the FCT nominating one Executive Director, and that each member-state, excluding the state providing the Chairman, should have a Non-Executive Director, to ensure that every state and the FCT is meaningfully represented at both executive and non-executive levels.
He acknowledged and commended the Senate for initiating legislative amendments to the Act to expand the Commission’s executive structure and urged that NCPF observations be adequately captured in the amendments. “We also urge the Legislature to fast-track the amendments in order to strengthen regional confidence and inclusion,” he added.