By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Niger
NIGER: Dr. Mohammed K. Santuraki, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, has voiced strong displeasure over what he described as the marginalisation of Niger State in the newly constituted leadership of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).
In a statement made available to journalists on Saturday, Santuraki, who is also a key stakeholder of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, said the state’s representation in the commission falls short of expectations, especially when weighed against its political support for the current administration.
“While Niger State was given one Non-Executive Director and one Executive Director slot, it was completely sidelined from occupying any of the two top positions—Managing Director/CEO or Chairman,” he lamented.
According to him, this exclusion is particularly disheartening given the role Niger played in championing the creation of the commission and its willingness to cede the proposed headquarters to Nasarawa State for regional unity.
“Our concern is rooted in two key realities,” he stated. “The political and electoral support Niger State gave to this administration, and the fact that Niger State agitated for the location of the Commission’s headquarters and later conceded this to Nasarawa State.”
He noted that during the 2023 presidential elections, Niger State delivered over 375,000 votes for the APC—the highest in the North Central zone and among the top-performing states nationwide.
Dr. Santuraki warned that the current composition of the NCDC board, with its leadership heavily tilted toward the Benue-Plateau-Nasarawa axis, risks deepening political and ethnic imbalance in the region.
He called for a more equitable representation that reflects the diversity of the North Central zone, stressing the need to also carry along the Niger-Kogi-Kwara-FCT bloc.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should intervene and address this injustice. Niger State has earned its place through loyalty, sacrifice and contribution. We seek not favour, but fairness,” he appealed.
The North Central Development Commission was recently established to address development gaps and infrastructural deficits in the region.