The Senate Committee on Regional Development has queried the expenditure of about N943 million on board allowances by the North West Development Commission (NWDC).
The committee also voiced its concern over the prolonged delay in appointing Executive Directors amid lingering administrative challenges within the agency.
The lawmakers, during an investigative hearing on Tuesday, questioned the conduct of officials of the commission and the Federal Ministry of Regional Development.
According to them, the effectiveness of the commission was being threatened by governance lapses.
The commission was established with a mandate to address infrastructure deficits, insecurity and economic challenges in the North-West region.
But the Senate committee noted that the NWDC remains the only regional development commission without executive directors despite being among the first commissions established by an Act of the National Assembly.
Minister of State for Regional Development, Alhaji Uba Maigari Ahmadu, who appeared before the committee, told the lawmakers that the absence of executive directors had significantly weakened the commission’s management structure and contributed to its operational difficulties.
“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,” Ahmadu said.
He disclosed that the ministry had intervened in a prolonged dispute over the commission’s office accommodation in Kano, explaining that disagreements over the choice of headquarters had fuelled friction between the board and management.
According to him, the Kano State Government has now provided a fully furnished office complex, operational vehicles and a parcel of land for the commission.
“We formally took over the facility last week and directed that all other offices be shut down. This should finally put an end to the controversy,” the minister said.
Ahmadu added that while state governments in Enugu, Oyo and Nasarawa had provided office accommodation for their respective regional development commissions without controversy, the situation in Kano had generated avoidable tensions that slowed the commission’s take-off.
The hearing, however, shifted focus to the commission’s financial records after senators raised questions over board expenditures and delays in implementing key operational decisions.
One senator challenged the commission’s claim of inadequate funding, noting that board members had continued to embark on official engagements, including courtesy visits to governors and other stakeholders.
Another lawmaker specifically queried the payment of duty tour allowances to the Managing Director for a visit to the Governor of Kano State, despite the commission’s headquarters being located in the same city.
The senator questioned why expenses reportedly covering air tickets, local transportation and other logistics were incurred for what appeared to be a local official engagement.
The lawmakers were particularly alarmed by documents presented before the committee indicating that out of N1.19 billion spent by the commission, N943 million was devoted to allowances for members of the governing board. This represents nearly 79 percent of the expenditure under that category.
Senators described the figure as disturbing and inconsistent with the commission’s developmental mandate.
They stressed that resources should be directed toward projects capable of improving security, infrastructure and economic opportunities across the North-West rather than being consumed by administrative expenses.
Defending the board’s activities, Chairman of the Governing Board, Abdullahi Lawal, maintained that all actions taken by the board were in line with the provisions of the North West Development Commission Act, 2024.
Lawal said the board had convened seven meetings — five regular and two emergency sessions — and adopted 63 resolutions aimed at establishing the commission’s institutional and policy framework.
According to him, the board approved standing orders, operational guidelines, committee structures, budget frameworks and fund allocation principles for the seven states in the region.
He insisted that committee activities and sitting allowances constituted legitimate governance expenses under the commission’s enabling law.
Lawal, however, distinguished between the approval of expenditure and the release of funds.
“While the board approves legitimate governance expenses, the responsibility for processing payments lies with the management of the commission, particularly the Managing Director and finance officials,” he said.
The board chairman also complained about what he described as the non-implementation of board resolutions, communication gaps and delays in executing key decisions, which he said had hampered the smooth take-off of the commission.
Several senators insisted that the Federal Ministry of Regional Development must take responsibility for the failure to complete the commission’s management structure, especially the appointment of Executive Directors.
They argued that the leadership vacuum, coupled with delays in staff recruitment and implementation of approved capital projects, was undermining the commission’s capacity to deliver on its mandate.
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