By Egena Sunday Ode
President Bola Tinubu on Monday met with the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, and the leadership of seven development commissions at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to discuss the way forward on security and critical infrastructure in the regions.
Speaking State House Correspondents after meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,
The minister who led the commissions’ bosses to the meeting with the president told newsmen at the end of the closed-door said although the commissions are not the chief executives of their respective regions, they are mandated to complement both federal and state efforts, particularly in addressing security challenges.
He said plans were outlined at the meeting to pursue that mandate with a renewed vigor.
Momoh noted that existing the commissions are already contributing to regional road development, adding that similar interventions are expected as the newly established commissions become fully operational.
Said he: “The commissions will work side by side with state governments to address insecurity in their regions. It is part of their core mandate. They are not the chief executives of the states, but they will complement the work of other levels of government.”
The Minister cited ongoing interventions by state governments on federal highways, such as repairs on a 10-kilometre stretch of the Benin-Warri Road in Delta State and work on the Sapele-Ogorode corridor in Edo State, as examples of proactive collaboration that should be replicated nationwide.
He attributed the poor condition of many roads to a long-standing neglect of maintenance, noting that the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) “for more than eight to ten years was not fully alive to its responsibilities.”
Momoh said the development commissions have adopted a four-phase master plan for rebuilding and linking economic clusters across the regions.
The first phase focused on security, followed by sustainability, while the ongoing third phase prioritises infrastructure to expand market access and drive community renewal.
Responding to a question on why some of the newly established commissions were yet to get take-off funding, the Minister said it was part of the reason for their meeting with President Tinubu at the Villa.
“It is part of my address, and that is one of the reasons we met with Mr. President. And that issue is being looked into properly. I think, in a very short time. you will hear from us,” Momoh added.
The North Central Development Commission (NCDC) is one of the newly established commissions yet to secure it’s take off funding budget.
Chairman of the NCDC board, Barrister Cosmas Akighir confirmed to our correspondent on the sideline of the press briefing that a total of N140billion being the commission’s initial annual budget was yet to be released, and presents a major challenge.
“We have an envelope budget of N140billion but nothing has been released to us. That is the challenge.
“That is part of the reason we came to engage with the President. With our engagement with the President, I am confident that something positive will happen in this regard,” Akighir said.
He disclosed that the NCDC has already developed a clear road map for various project interventions, and is working with consultants in terms of the health, education sectors, purposeful infrastructure, and some other critical areas.
Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said the prevailing peace in the Niger Delta region is the result of community-driven development anchored on needs assessments and broad stakeholder engagement.
He noted that virtually every community in the region, including hard-to-reach riverine settlements, now hosts at least one project.
“Before we design projects, we conduct needs assessments and consult widely. You will hardly find any Niger Delta community without an ongoing project,” Ogbuku said.
He added that improved street lighting under the Operation Light Up the Niger Delta initiative has significantly enhanced security and disrupted criminal activity in previously volatile areas.
“Some communities were previously overrun by militants because they were completely dark. Today, most are illuminated, making it difficult for criminals to take over,” he said.
Also speaking, Managing Director of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Mohammad Goni Alkali, disclosed that about four major bridges and nearly 80 roads are currently under construction, with particular focus on areas recovering from insurgency.
“For instance, in the Jere-Borno axis, once badly hit by insurgency, we have opened up about 48 kilometres of roads linking major towns. You can now move across that region in roughly 40 minutes. We will replicate this across other states to support economic recovery,” Alkali said.
