The Senate Committee on Regional Development has questioned the operations of the North West Development Commission (NWDC) over the delayed appointment of executive directors, alleged governance challenges and the expenditure of about N943 million on board allowances.
At an investigative session on Tuesday with officials of the commission and the Federal Ministry of Regional Development, lawmakers expressed concern that the NWDC remained the only regional development commission without executive directors, despite being among the first established through an Act of the National Assembly.
The committee chairman, Senator Babangida Hussaini, also scrutinised the commission’s financial records, governance structure and implementation of its mandate, warning that administrative challenges were slowing development interventions in the North-West, a region facing insecurity and infrastructure deficits.
Appearing before the committee, the Minister of State for Regional Development, Alhaji Uba Ahmadu, disclosed that the ministry had intervened in the prolonged dispute over the commission’s headquarters in Kano.
He explained that the NWDC had initially operated from office spaces provided by private organisations, but disagreements over which facility should serve as its headquarters created tensions between the governing board and management.
According to the minister, the Kano State Government provided a fully furnished office complex, operational vehicles and a plot of land for the commission.
He said the ministry, board and management jointly took over the facility last week and directed that all other offices be closed to resolve the dispute.
“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 has to be done urgently so that the commission can function effectively,” Ahmadu told the committee.
The minister said the absence of executive directors had weakened the commission’s management structure and contributed to operational difficulties since its inauguration.
He noted that although the governing board was inaugurated in February 2025 to accelerate the commission’s take-off, the organisation had continued to face administrative challenges.
Ahmadu compared the situation with other regional commissions, noting that state governments in Enugu, Oyo and Nasarawa had provided office accommodation for their respective commissions without similar disputes.
He expressed optimism that the intervention by the Kano State Government would finally resolve the NWDC headquarters issue.
During the hearing, senators raised concerns over delays in holding board meetings, financial management practices and what they described as excessive spending on board-related allowances.
Some lawmakers questioned how the commission could complain of inadequate funding while undertaking official visits to governors and other stakeholders.
Hussaini criticised the payment of duty tour allowance to the Managing Director for a visit to the Kano State Governor, arguing that the inclusion of air tickets, local transportation and other logistics was questionable since the commission’s headquarters was located in Kano.
“The committee was particularly alarmed by documents indicating that out of N1.19 billion spent by the commission, N943 million was used for allowances paid to members of the governing board, representing about 79 per cent of expenditure under the subhead,” he said.
The lawmakers described the figure as disturbing and inconsistent with the purpose for which the commission was established.
Responding, the Chairman of the NWDC Governing Board, Prof Abdullahi Ma’aji, defended the board’s activities, insisting that they were carried out in line with the provisions of the North West Development Commission Act, 2024.
He said the board had held seven meetings, comprising five regular and two emergency sessions, during which it adopted 63 resolutions aimed at establishing the commission’s institutional and policy framework.
According to Ma’aji, the board approved standing orders, operational guidelines, committee structures, budget frameworks and principles for allocating resources among the seven North-West states.
He maintained that committee activities and sitting allowances were legitimate governance expenses permitted under the enabling legislation.
However, he distinguished between approving expenditures and releasing funds, explaining that while the board authorised governance-related expenses, the responsibility for processing payments rested with the commission’s management, particularly the Managing Director and finance department.
The board chairman also raised concerns over what he described as delays in implementing board resolutions, communication gaps and slow execution of key operational decisions, which he said had affected the commission’s smooth take-off.
Several senators insisted that the ministry must take responsibility for the failure to complete the commission’s management structure, particularly the appointment of executive directors.
They argued that the prolonged vacancies had weakened the NWDC at a time when the North-West requires coordinated development efforts to address insecurity and socio-economic challenges.
Lawmakers also expressed concern over delays in staff recruitment and the implementation of the commission’s capital budget despite approvals reportedly granted since February.
At the end of the public hearing, the committee resolved to proceed into a closed-door session to deliberate on sensitive issues and obtain further clarifications from officials.
The hearing forms part of the Senate’s ongoing oversight of newly established regional development commissions, which were created to accelerate infrastructure development, economic recovery and peace-building across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
