Chairman of the committee, Senator Titus Zam, made the observation on Tuesday while speaking with journalists after an interactive session between the committee and the management of the commission.
He noted that at the current rate of N2.9 billion monthly releases, the commission would receive less than half of its approved annual budget by the end of the year.
"If you give someone that has a budget of N140 billion, N2.9 billion per month, in 12 months, it won't be up to half of the entire budgetary sum," Zam said.
He, however, expressed optimism that the current funding arrangement was only temporary and would improve as the commission becomes fully operational.
"I suppose that is just a temporary package. When the commission finally comes to fruition, much more funds will be released. So we thank Mr. President and the executive for releasing something now, but we look forward to more," he added.
The lawmaker assured that the Senate committee would closely monitor the commission to ensure prudent utilization of the funds already released.
He urged the NCDC to prioritise agriculture, security and rural development in implementing its programmes.
According to him, the North Central region is predominantly agrarian, with vast arable land, favourable rainfall and vegetation, making agricultural development a critical area of intervention.
"We need the department of NCDC to take agriculture very seriously," he said.
Zam also called on the commission to support security agencies and state governments in tackling insecurity across the region.
"The commission is advised to support the security forces and state governments to complement their efforts towards mitigating the tide of insecurity within the region," he said.
He further stressed the need for greater investment in rural development, noting that most communities in the North Central zone are rural and require improved infrastructure and basic amenities.
