Senate kicks as NWDC board members get N943m allowances

The Senate Committee on Regional Development on Tuesday queried the N943 million spent on allowances for members of the Governing Board of the North-West Development Commission (NWDC).

President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the board on February 11, 2025.

But, months later, the commission has yet to appoint executive directors and other key officials though N943 million has already been spent on board members’ allowances.

The issues came up during an investigative hearing by the committee as senators questioned the failure to appoint key executive directors to date.

Among the six regional development commissions established by the National Assembly, the NWDC remains the only one without the necessary executive appointments.

The Minister of State for Regional Development, Alhaji Uba Maigari Ahmadu, while addressing the lawmakers’ concerns, traced the internal crisis partly to office accommodation challenges. 

Ahmadu said the office was initially provided by private individuals, which eventually led to disagreements over the location of the commission’s headquarters.

However, he said the situation was being resolved after the Kano State Government provided office space for the commission’s operations.

The minister said: “The North West Development Commission is the only commission that does not yet have executive directors. 

“Every other regional commission has its full management structure in place.

“Something urgent must be done for the commission to function effectively.”

According to Ahmadu, without executive directors, the commission’s governance structure would remain weak, hindering its full take-off.

He noted that while office accommodation sparked controversy over the NWDC headquarters in Kano, other states such as Oyo, Enugu, and Nasarawa, which host other regional development commissions, commenced operations without similar challenges.

However, senators were visibly angry about the huge spending on board allowances despite the commission not yet taking off or delivering on its mandate.

The committee was particularly alarmed by documents showing that out of the N1.19 billion spent by the commission, N943 million went to allowances for members of the Governing Board, representing nearly 79 percent of the expenditure under that subhead.

Senators described the figure as disturbing and inconsistent with the purpose for which the commission was established.

The commission’s established to bring development closer to the people of the North West and address pressing challenges, especially insecurity and infrastructure deficits.

However, the Chairman of the Governing Board, Abdullahi Lawal, told lawmakers that the Act establishing the commission provided legal backing for the allowances and other related expenses.

Lawal explained that the board had held seven meetings—five regular and two emergency sessions—during which it passed 63 resolutions aimed at putting in place the institutional and policy framework for the commission.

He also said the board approved standing orders, operational guidelines, committee structures, budget frameworks, and fund allocation principles for the seven North West states covered by the commission.