The Federal Government has allocated a total of N2,493,138,248,477 to regional development commissions in the proposed 2025 budget. This move follows the establishment of the Ministry of Regional Development by the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Executive Council (FEC) in October 2024.
The new ministry will oversee all regional development commissions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), North-West Development Commission, South-West Development Commission, and North-East Development Commission.
As part of this restructuring, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, which was established by former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on September 10, 2008, has been dissolved. However, the North-Central region, comprising six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), remains the only geopolitical zone without a dedicated regional development commission, a situation that has sparked widespread debate on social media, with many Nigerians calling for equal treatment in federal allocations.
The NDDC, created in 2000, was the first regional development commission, set up to address the developmental challenges faced by the oil-producing Niger Delta region. Following that, the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) was established in 2017 to aid in the rebuilding of areas devastated by insurgency.
In December 2024, President Bola Tinubu presented a N49.7 trillion budget proposal for 2025 to a joint session of the National Assembly.
