The Senate Committee on Regional Development has questioned the payment of N943 million in allowances to members of the Governing Board of the North-West Development Commission (NWDC), despite the commission yet to commence full operations.
The issue arose during an investigative hearing on Tuesday, where lawmakers expressed concern over the commission’s expenditure since its board was inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu on February 11, 2025.
The committee noted that although the NWDC has not appointed its Managing Director, Executive Directors and other key management officials, it has already spent N1.19 billion, with N943 million—about 79 per cent of the total expenditure—going to board members’ allowances.
Lawmakers described the spending as excessive and inconsistent with the commission’s mandate of addressing developmental challenges, insecurity and infrastructure deficits across the North-West region.
The Minister of State for Regional Development, Alhaji Uba Maigari Ahmadu, attributed the delay in the commission’s full take-off to disputes over office accommodation and the location of its headquarters.
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According to the minister, the crisis began after office space initially provided by private individuals triggered disagreements over the commission’s headquarters in Kano. He, however, said the situation had largely been resolved following the provision of office accommodation by the Kano State Government.
Ahmadu told the committee that the NWDC remains the only one among the six regional development commissions without executive directors and a full management structure.
“Something urgent must be done for the commission to function effectively,” he said, warning that the absence of executive management had weakened the commission’s governance framework.
Responding to lawmakers’ concerns, Chairman of the NWDC Governing Board, Abdullahi Lawal, defended the allowances, saying they were backed by the Act establishing the commission.
Lawal explained that the board had convened seven meetings—five regular and two emergency sessions—during which it adopted 63 resolutions aimed at laying the institutional and policy foundation for the commission.
He added that the board approved standing orders, operational guidelines, committee structures, budget frameworks and principles for fund allocation across the seven states in the North-West zone.
The committee is expected to continue its oversight of the commission as efforts intensify to ensure its full operational take-off.
