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A proposed amendment to the North Central Development Commission, NCDC, Act, seeking to relocate the commission’s headquarters from Lafia, Nasarawa State, to Minna, Niger State, has sparked widespread condemnation.
The amendment bill, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Senator Bamidele Opeyemi (APC, Ekiti Central), has been met with stiff resistance, particularly from stakeholders in Nasarawa State, who have labeled the move as unjust and unnecessary.
In reaction, Rep. Jeremiah Umaru, APC, Akwanga/Nasarawa Eggon/Wamba), a key sponsor of the original bill establishing the commission, dismissed the proposed change as “an exercise in futility.”
“They can’t do anything,” Umaru asserted, reassuring his constituents that Lafia remains the official headquarters of the commission.
He further stated that the original bill, which was assented to by President Bola Tinubu over a week ago, had already set the foundation for the commission’s operations in Nasarawa State.
Governor Abdullahi Sule and other stakeholders have praised Senator Abba Moro and Rep. Jeremiah Umaru for their efforts in securing the commission for the state.
They also lauded President Tinubu for signing the bill into law, describing it as a significant victory after years of advocacy.
In other news, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has said that the country continues to grapple with a diphtheria outbreak.
NCDC, via its official website, reported that a total of 41,336 suspected diphtheria cases had been recorded across 36 states and the FCT.
The cases were reported from 350 local government areas between Epidemiological Week 19, 2022, and Epidemiological Week 4, 2025.
According to NCDC’s latest data, 24,846 cases (60.1%) were confirmed, while 7,769 (18.8%) were discarded.
The classification of 3,546 cases (8.6%) is pending, while the status of 5,175 cases (12.5%) remains unknown.
The agency noted that the outbreak is concentrated in a few states, with Kano leading with 23,784 suspected cases, followed by Yobe (5,302), Katsina (3,708), Bauchi (3,066), Borno (2,902), Kaduna (777), and Jigawa (364).
