Group wants Tinubu to appoint a technocrat as pioneer MD, NCDC
By Msugh Ityokura
A group, North Central Media Forum, NCMF has called on president Bola Tinubu to appoint a technocrat and seasoned administrator as a pioneer Managing Director, MD of the North Central Development Commission, NCDC
It is the fervent hope and belief of the forum that only an experienced administrator can set the pace, standard and consolidate on it for sustainability
In a statement in Abuja Saturday, the forum thanked president Bola Tinubu for establishing the North Central Development Commission, NCDC with the aim of addressing developmental challenges in Nigeria’s North-Central region
The region includes states such as Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja
The NCDC was established through a bill signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in February 2025, following its passage by the National Assembly in July 2024
The NCDC is expected to address infrastructure challenges in the region through several key initiatives some of which are transportation and road networks
The commission will also invest in constructing and rehabilitating major roads, bridges, and railways to enhance connectivity and facilitate economic growth
By partnering with power sector stakeholders, the NCDC aims to expand electricity distribution, support renewable energy, and optimize hydroelectric potential, focusing on rural electrification
In the area of health infrastructure ,the commission is mandated to improve healthcare services by building and upgrading hospitals, equipping medical centers and recruiting healthcare professionals
It is also expected to prioritize education by constructing new schools, renovating existing ones and providing scholarships and vocational training programs
Coordinator of the grouo, Abubakar Yakubu recalled how regional agitations in the Niger Delta region gave birth to the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC by the late president Yar Adua in 2007 thereby, reducing the tensed atmosphere in the area
He noted that the amnesty programme of Yar Adua was also a key factor in quelling tension in the region which is the nation’s life wire
Accorsing to the forum, the subsequent creation of the North East Development Commission, NEDC by former president Muhammadu Buhari as well as the North West, East and Central Development Commissions by the president Bola Tinubu’s administration, all the geo political regions have been given the sense of belonging in the scheme of things
“Having suffered retrogression from so many factors such as banditry attacks, which has caused foot shortages given the displacement of farmers in the states under the region, the NCDC needs a technocrat and an astute administrator per excellence as its pioneer Managing Director, MD.
“This is important for the sustainability of the core mandate of the commission which aims at both physical and human capital development.
“A square peg in a square hole must be apponted as the pioneer head of the commission in order to actualize the aim and.mandate of its establishment.
“Jeffries Kuraun, a geologist and petroleum engineer with extensive experience in the upstream oil and gas industry as well as mining is the right man for the job” the group stated.
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He has also worked as a Senior Seismologist and business development manager in various companies.
He founded the Jeffrey Kuraun Foundation, focusing on health, education, and economic empowerment and had expressed interest in leading Benue State, aiming to improve governance and development as the state governor on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“With his experience, coupled with the desire to serve, his role as the MD of the commission if given the opportunity will not be regrettable at all” he said.
Yakubu described Kuraun as a dependable ally who has being supportive of both personal, and socio, political concerns of the Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF Senator George Akume.
He expressed hope that with the SGF and other stakeholders’ support, Kuraun will emerge the pioneer Managing Director of the NCDC for sustainable development.
