ESTABLISHMENT OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONS: ADVANCING THE DYNAMISM OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

By

Shehu Bashir Esq.

Change is a constant phenomenon. It will happen one way or another. It must always happen. What is most important is that the change should be a positive one. The one that will advance the course of governance and better the life of the people.

No doubt, Nigeria democracy is advancing and more opportunities are coming along with that. When people take charge of governance, it is most likely that true development will follow. With their mental development comes physical progress.

One unique course of governance that is channeled towards good governance is the advanced thinking of the current administration in term of inclusiveness. That has now given birth to the creation and establishment of regional development commissions.

The pioneer developmental commission, which is Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, which was established to address the “shortfall” in host communities engagement and participation in resource management has now metamorphosed into five other similar agencies across the country.

The country now has six geopolitical developmental commissions which are all additional means to an end in term of bringing government closer to the people and creating opportunities for targeted developments through social, economic and political inclusiveness.

Since the inception of this administration, four other similar agencies have been created. The North West Development Commissiob, North East Development Commission, South East Development, South West Development Commission and now North Central Development Commission.

The signing into law of the establishment Bill for the creation North Central Development Commission, NCDC, calls for celebration and gratitude. Like the other ones before it, the Commission will no doubt add to the value chain of national development and regional integration. It will advance the course of governance and ensure that specific and peculiar interests of each region is taken with extraordinary commitment and patriotism.

What is more delectable in the guiding principle of the creation of these Commissions is that the affairs of each of these agencies will be run by the people of the region. Governance is now in the hands of the people of the region directly. The complaint of national dominance or imbalance in the federal character represention will atleast reduce in the interim.

The attention will now be focused on what the regional agencies can offer their people with less focus on the central government.

In the next few years, we should be experiencing greater service delivery from these agencies. The agencies now have the opportunity to connect the country with even developments in infrastructure, security, economic prosperity, agricultural development, science and technology advancement.

This is even coming at a time local government affairs is getting the nod for autonomy. Government is now more in the hands of the people, opening the pathway to accountability and scrutiny.

It is now time for these agencies to compliment the federal government and support the state governments, while ensuring that they set the standards for grassroots development and progress.

As it should, these agencies should focus strictly on development and eschew any form of politics. Playing politics with governance will complicate matters, make them lose focus and make development very difficult.

It needs to be stated that the Commissions would need to and should seek the collaboration of the state governments under their jurisdiction. They should ensure that they don’t engage in needless competition with the state governments. They are developmental agencies and not a government (political organ).

It will be irresponsible and unnecessary loss of focus for any management team of any of these agencies to turn themselves into pseudo government and engaging in counterproductive competition with the state governments or the state governors.

The thinking behind this liberalization of governance is to ensure focused development within each region. This is aimed at gearing up and stimulating economic opportunities within each region to that extent that each region will develop the peculiar potentials using the natural, human and material resource to advance the course of good governance and development.

The regional development agencies have the basic responsibility to invite developmental partners, foreign and local which will assist in their quest to drive their regions out of economic downturn.

We cannot but take note of the stakeholders who worked so hard to ensure that these projects came out successfully. The state governors were the chief drivers of these projects and they must be commended for their efforts and patriotism.

President Tinubu could not have done better in turning this mud into stones to build this castle. The ball is now in the courts of those who would manage these agencies. They must remain focused in order to deliver on their mandate. There is no doubt that North Central Development Commission has a lot to sail on, to drive the much anticipated prosperous development for the region.

Hopefully, the team that will be selected to run the affairs of these agencies will be godly enough to fortify themselves against the temptation of corruption so that the fund that is meant for development will not be diverted. It is my hope and expectation that the right team will be appointed into various positions to ensure strict compliance to the ethics of good governance. God willing.

GOD IS HERE.