24/09/2026
WARD DEVELOPMENT STEERING COMMITTEE REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NIGER STATE.
By Yunusa Saidu Ibrahim anipr, Director Information Services Ministry of Information and Orientation.
The State Ward Development Project Steering Committee has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that communities across the State are adequately supported to identify, implement and sustain development projects that respond directly to their most pressing needs.
The commitment was renewed at a meeting of the State Steering Committee held today at the Ministry of Rural and Community Development, where members reviewed the implementation framework and ongoing efforts to deepen community-driven development across the State.
The Ward Development Project is part of the broader New Niger Agenda of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, which places strong emphasis on grassroots development, rural transformation and bringing government interventions closer to the people. The initiative is designed to promote inclusive development by ensuring that communities participate actively in identifying and addressing their priority needs.
The meeting was attended by members of the State Steering Committee, including the commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon Obed Nuhu Nana, with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Rural and Community Development, Dr. Yakubu M. Bello, PhD, mni, serving as Secretary.
A major focus of the deliberations was the need to ensure that the Ward Development Project remains firmly anchored on community participation, identified local priorities, transparency, coordination and measurable impact.
The Committee resolved to strengthen support to communities across the 274 wards to enable them to effectively implement identified priority projects, while ensuring appropriate coordination with relevant government ministries, departments and agencies.
The members emphasised that development interventions must respond to the peculiar needs of individual communities, recognising that priorities and challenges vary from one location to another.
The Committee also stressed the importance of effective monitoring, accountability and community ownership throughout the project cycle, from project identification and implementation to completion and maintenance.
In a significant development after the meeting, the Permanent Secretary unveiled the newly procured vehicles by the ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to members of the Steering Committee executive.
The Permanent Secretary explained that the vehicles are for the use of the Ward Development Steering Committee to enhance its activities, particularly field monitoring, community engagement, project supervision, stakeholder coordination and effective follow-up on interventions across the State.
The provision of the vehicles by the Local Government Ministry is expected to strengthen the operational capacity of the Committee and improve its ability to maintain regular contact with communities and monitor the implementation of projects at the grassroots.
The Committee further called for sustained engagement with traditional institutions, community leaders, local government authorities, women, youth and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that interventions reflect genuine community priorities and enjoy broad-based ownership.
Members also underscored the need for proper documentation, responsible utilisation of resources, regular monitoring and timely reporting to ensure that every intervention delivers tangible value to the people.
The meeting reaffirmed the State Government's commitment to making ward development a practical vehicle for inclusive grassroots transformation, with the Committee resolved to ensure that identified projects move from planning and approval to effective implementation and completion across communities.
Through the initiative, the State Government seeks to deepen community participation in governance and ensure that the benefits of the New Niger Agenda are extended to communities at the grassroots.
Rural and Community Development, NGS. Umaru Mohammed Bago
