By Anayo Akwitti
The Senate Committee on Regional Development has queried the operations of the North West Development Commission (NWDC), raising concerns over the payment of about ₦943 million in board allowances, delays in appointing executive directors and persistent governance challenges slowing the commission’s take-off.
At an investigative hearing with officials of the commission and the Federal Ministry of Regional Development, lawmakers questioned why the NWDC remains the only regional development commission without executive directors despite being among the first established by an Act of the National Assembly.
Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Ahmadu, told the committee that the ministry had intervened to resolve the prolonged dispute over the commission’s headquarters in Kano.
He explained that the NWDC initially operated from offices donated by private organisations, but disagreements over which facility should serve as its headquarters created friction between the board and management.
According to the minister, the Kano State Government has now provided a fully furnished headquarters, operational vehicles and a plot of land for the commission.
He said the new facility was officially taken over last week, with directives issued to shut down all other offices to end the controversy.
Ahmadu described the absence of executive directors as a major setback, saying it had weakened the commission’s management structure and hampered its operations since inauguration.
“The North West Development Commission is the only commission without executive directors. Every other regional commission has a full management structure. This must be addressed urgently,” he said.
Lawmakers also scrutinised the commission’s financial records, questioning how it could claim inadequate funding while embarking on official visits and incurring significant travel expenses.
One senator specifically queried the payment of duty tour allowance to the Managing Director for a visit to the Kano State Governor, despite the commission’s headquarters being located in Kano.
The committee was particularly disturbed by documents showing that ₦943 million of the ₦1.19 billion spent by the commission nearly 79 per cent went to board allowances.
Senators described the spending as inconsistent with the commission’s core mandate of tackling development deficits, insecurity and infrastructure challenges across the North-West.
Responding, Chairman of the Governing Board, Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji, defended the expenditures, insisting they were authorised under the North West Development Commission Act, 2024.
He said the board had held seven meetings five regular and two emergency sessions and approved 63 resolutions establishing the commission’s governance, operational and budgetary framework.
Ma’aji, however, maintained that while the board approved expenditures, responsibility for processing payments rested with the commission’s management.
He also alleged that delays in implementing board resolutions, poor communication and slow execution of key decisions had frustrated the commission’s smooth take-off.
Several senators blamed the ministry for failing to complete the commission’s management structure, warning that the prolonged absence of executive directors was undermining the NWDC’s ability to deliver on its mandate.
The committee further expressed concern over delays in staff recruitment and implementation of the commission’s capital budget, stressing that the North-West urgently needs effective development interventions.
Following the public hearing, the committee moved into a closed-door executive session to consider sensitive matters and obtain further clarifications from the officials as part of its ongoing oversight of the newly established regional development commissions.
