This post has already been read 2101 times!

The North-Central Development Agenda (N-CDA) has expressed strong support for President Bola Tinubu and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume. At a press conference on Wednesday, the group praised President Tinubu’s economic reforms, despite their initial challenges, and commended his decision to appoint Senator Akume as SGF, describing it as well-deserved.

“We use this opportunity to extend our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, for graciously appointing our Leader, Senator Akume to the exalted position of the Number 3 official in the Executive Arm of the Federal Government of the country,” said Ademu Musa Adams, reading from the group’s press briefing.

The N-CDA acknowledged the partnership between Tinubu and Akume, emphasizing their confidence in their commitment to democracy, good governance, and regional development. 

“Our faith in the working partnership between President Tinubu and our Leader Senator Akume is strengthened by the known fact that they were not just brother governors from 1999 to 2007, President Tinubu in Lagos and SGF Akume in Benue, but they were closely allied even then as defenders of democracy and upholders of the tenets which nourish and sustain it worldwide.”

The group also urged state governors in the North Central region and across the country to judiciously use post-subsidy removal funds provided by the federal government to ease economic hardships for Nigerians. 

“The initiative by Mr. President to centrally involve state governors in the measures to cushion the effects of post subsidy removal on Nigerians is most welcome and if properly managed, should serve to anchor the federal government driven public welfare schemes,” the group said.

Furthermore, the N-CDA called for the creation of a North Central Development Commission to ensure equity with other geopolitical regions and to harness the region’s potential for national development. Notably, the North Central Development Commission was established in March 2020, after the Bill establishing the Commission was passed.

However, the group emphasized the need for the commission to be functional, stating that the recent approval of development commissions for the South East and South West regions leaves the North-Central as the sole region without a functional Development Commission in the country. 

“We must underscore that while the region remains to date the most peaceful in the country without any history of violent agitation or collective subversive unrest, the creation of a Development Commission to oversee its developmental needs will bring out the strengths of its people and consolidate its role as the fulcrum of the Nigerian Federation.”

In conclusion, the N-CDA expressed its implicit faith that Senator Akume will put the issue of the North Central Development Commission to President Tinubu, leading to its establishment. “Long Live North-Central Nigeria Long Live Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the group said.