Niger State Demands Fair Representation in North Central Development Commission Board

By Chimezie Godfrey

In a firm yet respectful appeal, Dr. Mohammed K. Santuraki, a prominent stakeholder of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, has called for equitable representation of the state in the recently constituted Board and Executive Management of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).

In a statement issued on Friday, Santuraki expressed dissatisfaction over the allocation of positions to Niger State, emphasizing that the state’s contributions and political loyalty to the current administration have not been adequately acknowledged. Despite delivering over 375,000 votes—the highest in the North Central Zone during the 2023 presidential election—Niger State was only granted one Non-Executive Director and one Executive Director position in the Commission.

Santuraki highlighted that the state had initially contested for the location of the NCDC headquarters but later conceded to Nasarawa State. He noted that this concession was made with the expectation of being rewarded with one of the two principal positions—Managing Director/CEO or Chairman. However, both top positions were allocated to representatives from the Benue-Plateau-Nasarawa axis, leaving the Niger-Kogi-Kwara-FCT axis with no principal office.

According to Santuraki, the decision undermines the ethno-cultural and political balance within the North Central region and raises concerns of marginalization. He argued that the region is divided into two blocs—the Benue-Plateau-Nasarawa axis and the Niger-Kogi-Kwara-FCT axis—stressing that fair representation requires a more equitable distribution of top positions across these blocs.

The APC stakeholder urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and address the perceived imbalance, asserting that Niger State’s loyalty and electoral support should not be overlooked.

“We seek not favour, but fairness,” Santuraki stated, reiterating that the state’s sacrifice, contribution, and unwavering support warrant a more prominent role in the NCDC’s leadership structure.

Efforts to reach NCDC officials for comment were unsuccessful at the time of this report.