Senate appoints chairmen, deputies of standing committees to oversight Regional Development Commissions across Nigeria 

The Nigerian Senate has announced the appointment of chairmen and deputy chairmen of various standing committees to provide oversight for newly established regional development commissions across the country.

This follows President Bola Tinubu’s assent to bills creating development commissions aimed at addressing regional socio-economic challenges, the Nigerian Television Authority reports.

The appointments, as disclosed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a plenary session, include:

• Senator Babangida Hussaini as Chairman and Senator Muntari Dandutse as Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on the North West Development Commission.
• Senator Orji Uzor Kalu as Chairman and Senator Kenneth Eze as Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission.
• Senator Titus Zam as Chairman and Senator Isa Jibrin as Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission.

These appointments reflect the Senate’s commitment to ensuring effective oversight and policy implementation for the newly created commissions, which are expected to drive infrastructural and economic development in their respective regions.

Reshuffling of Senate Committee Leadership 

In addition to the oversight committee appointments, the Senate also announced a reshuffling of leadership across several standing committees. Some of the notable changes include:

• Senator Abdul Ningi, who previously chaired the Senate Committee on Population, has been reassigned as Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
• Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organizations. She previously chaired the Committee on Local Content.
• Senator Garba Maidoki has been appointed as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports Development.
• Senator Joel Thomas is the new Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content.
• Senator Victor Umeh has been reassigned from the Senate Committee on Diaspora to head the Senate Committee on National Population and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Political analysts have noted that the appointments also reflect a strategic realignment of Senate leadership, with experienced lawmakers taking on new responsibilities to drive efficiency in governance. Observers will be keen to see how these committees execute their mandates in the coming months.

More insights 

The Federal Government allocated a total of N2,493,138,248,477 to regional development commissions in the proposed 2025 budget.

It would be recalled that the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Executive Council (FEC) established the Ministry of Regional Development in October 2024 to 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.