About Us

The Middle Belt Development Commission (MBDC) the focal organisation charged with the responsibility to assess, coordinate, harmonise and report on all intervention programmes, and initiatives by the Federal Government or any of its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), States; and other Development Partners and for the implementation of all programmes and initiatives for the Middle Belt states; Plateau, Niger, Kwara, FCT, Nassarawa, Kogi, Benue, respectively.

The Middle Belt Development Commission (MBDC) “among other things, is to receive and manage funds from allocation of the Federal Account and international donors for the settlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, houses and business premises of victims of insurgency as well as tackling menace of poverty, illiteracy level, ecological problems and any other related environmental or developmental challenges in the Middle Belt states”.

The establishment Act further mandates the (MBDC) to coordinate “the resettlement, rehabilitation, integration and reconstruction of infrastructure for victims and terrorism as well as tackling the menace of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, ecological challenges in the Middle Belt states and other related matter”.

Mission & Vision
To offer a lasting solution to the socio-economic difficulties of the Middle Belt Region and to facilitate the rapid and sustainable development of the Middle Belt into a region that is economically prosperous, socially stable, ecologically regenerative and politically peaceful

The Middle Belt
The Middle Belt (also spelt Middle-Belt) or Central Nigeria is a term used in human geography to designate a belt region stretching across central Nigeria longitudinally and forming a transition zone between Northern and Southern Nigeria. It is composed of the southern half of the defunct Northern Region of Nigeria, now comprising mostly the North Central and parts of the North East and North West geopolitical zones, and is characterised by its lack of a clear majority ethnic group. It is also the location of Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory.

The eminence of manifold minority groups, to some degree, constitutes an ethno-linguistic barrier in the country and draws a separation between the principally Muslim North and the mainly Christian south. The region is a convergence of these cultural domains and maintains a tremendous degree of ethno-linguistic diversity. Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, and Niger–Congo languages are all spoken, which are three of the primary African language families. In the 1920s, it was described by Melzian (1928:496) as the "Middle Belt Zone".

Overview
As to what the Middle-Belt entails, three top members of the Middle-Beltern struggle had this to say as presented in the pan-Middle-Beltern magazine, New Vision in December, 2000:

"The Middle-Belt true to its name, is located in central Nigeria, and interacting with both the North and the South with large population of both Northern and Southern peoples, the Middle-Belt is always in the best position to interpret the North to the South, and the South to the North. What the Middle-Belt seeks therefore, is to advance its former stand has been addressed as North Central Zone to self identification as Middle-Belt region, and widen the scope of the informal sector which to this day cements the platform of our national unity, so that our elite in the Middle-Belt behave in the spirit of national unity, as adequately and persistently demonstrated by the grassroot people over the years."

Since amalgamation of 1914, the people of the Middle-Belt have been held under dehumanizing conditions, they are treated as third rated citizen, little or no regard is accorded their culture and tradition, while their so-called masters wallowed in affluence enjoying the best of everything to the detriment of the Middle-Belter... Accordingly, these people from the Middle-Belt have the right to discontinue their association with those who enslave them and hold their destiny in their hands.

The establishment of the Middle Belt Development commission was as a result of badly damaged done to the region by insurgent group Boko Haram and Banditory.

On 25 March, 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Middle Belt Development Commission (MBDC) Bill 2017, a significant statement to underscore national concern with the devastation suffered by the region due to the Boko Haram insurgency and Banditory. The bill which became a source of debate as to its merits and demerits was sponsored by Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara (APC, Bauchi) in the House and by Senator David Mark (PDP, Benue South) in the Senate.

Senate President Bukola Saraki said the presidential assent to the bill was a major development in efforts by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to restore peace and normalcy in the Middle Belt and making the harrowing experience of the people as a result of insurgency a thing of the past. On his part Dogara said, “I expect the expeditious coming into force of the commission will remedy the long years of underdevelopment suffered by the region.

The recovery and redevelopment of the region is expected to last for decades.” The Act gives the Middle Belt Development Commission the mandate to receive and manage funds allocated by the Federal Government and international donor agencies for the resettlement, rehabilitation, integration and reconstruction of roads, houses, schools and business premises of victims of insurgency.

Everyone in Nigeria agrees that the Middle Belt region, especially Benue State, has suffered exceptional devastation of the kind that warrants national and international emergency response in order to get the region back on its feet again. It will be recalled that last year, many opposed establishment of MBDC because they thought it will duplicate the functions of federal, state and local governments and their agencies as well as bring another layer of bureaucracy to efforts to rebuild the region.

Middle Belt position was not borne out of lack of empathy for the plight of the region because few years ago, the people of the region called for a Marshal Plan of the kind that pulled Europe out of the devastation of World War Two for the Middle Belt region. Since the bill to establish the commission has now been signed into law, the people have dropped all their objections and hereby join well wishers in advising it on how to satisfy the aspirations of the people and communities so blighted by Boko Haram.

The most important advice for MBDC is that it should avoid the mistakes, loopholes and scandals that have bedevilled similar well-intentioned intervention agencies. The one that readily comes to mind is Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. This agency was established many years ago to address the region’s devastation due to oil production and transportation, but the general consensus is that it has not made the desired impact in terms of environmental and structural projects and human development in the Niger Delta. Instead it became a cesspool of corruption and a metaphor for waste.

MBDC may not be as awash in money as NDDC, given the latter’s rich source of funds. It is therefore doubly imperative for MBDC to husband the resources it gets and apply them to the best use. We urge the government to put in place stringent measures to checkmate waste and corruption and to promptly deal with anybody found to have tampered with the funds meant for hapless victims of insurgency. No one must be allowed to enrich himself or herself through wasteful projects such as grass cutting or over-invoiced contracts at the expense of the victims of insurgency.

For the successful take-off of the commission, the president said N10 billion Naira was provided in the budget. He urged the board to judiciously use the fund. He mandated the board to conduct a comprehensive survey of all the states in the Middle Belt to know the magnitude of the damage caused by the insurgency.

POPITIES
Territories
States of Nigeria which are generally referred to as belonging to the Middle Belt are: Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Benue and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), all culturally considered as part of the Middle Belt.

DEMOGRAPHICS
Population
The population of the Middle Belt as of 1991, was about 17.3 million but now predicted to be over 45 million people living in the middle belt region, with a predominant Christian population of 65%, Muslim population of 25% and Animist population of 10% of the total population.