NWDC In Turmoil As Senate Panel Exposes Power Struggle, Warns Patience Is Running Out
Barely one year after the inauguration of its board, the North-West Development Commission (NWDC) is struggling to find its footing, with deep-rooted governance conflicts threatening to stall its mandate, lawmakers revealed on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
This emerged during an intense interactive session between the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Professor Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji, and the joint committee of the National Assembly overseeing the NWDC, chaired by Senator Babangida Hussaini and co-chaired by Hon. Dr. Sulaiman Abubakar Gumi.
MD Accuses Board Chairman of Overreach
Addressing the joint committee, Prof. Ma’aji accused the chairman of the board, Alhaji Lawal Sama’ila Abdullahi, of undermining his authority and assuming executive powers contrary to the act establishing the commission.
According to the MD, the board chairman has consistently treated him as a mere board member rather than the accounting officer of the commission, even occupying his office space and chairing meetings as though he were an executive chairman.
> “My biggest problem is that the chairman of the board sees himself as the executive chairman of the commission,” Ma’aji told lawmakers.
“For the last four board meetings, he does not recognize me as MD/CEO but as a board member. This has stalled the development of the agency.”
He appealed to the National Assembly to urgently intervene to “save the commission and allow its takeoff in earnest.”
Senate Clarifies Roles, Issues Warning
Responding swiftly, Senate Committee Chairman on NWDC, Sen. Babangida Hussaini, clarified that the law is unambiguous: the board chairman is a part-time chairman, not an executive chairman.
He urged Alhaji Lawal Sama’ila Abdullahi to respect the limits of his role and work in line with the establishing act.
The joint committee, however, went beyond mediation, delivering one of its toughest oversight warnings yet to Nigeria’s newest regional intervention agency.
‘We Didn’t Create NWDC for Press Statements’
Lawmakers expressed growing frustration that nearly a year after its creation, the NWDC has little to show on the ground, despite the strategic importance of the North-West region.
While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for creating six regional development commissions, the committee warned that the NWDC is lagging dangerously behind its counterparts, particularly those in the South-West.
> “We did not create this commission for press statements and social media visibility,” lawmakers warned.
“We created it to solve problems.”
The committee reminded the commission that the North-West, with an estimated population of over 52 million people, bears a disproportionate burden of Nigeria’s development crises — including banditry, kidnapping, out-of-school children, drug abuse, arms proliferation, climate stress, and urban crime.
> “These challenges are not abstract. They are daily realities,” the committee stressed.
“That is why this commission matters more here than anywhere else.”
Final Mediation, Tougher Oversight Ahead
Sen. Hussaini revealed that the National Assembly had already intervened multiple times to resolve internal disputes within the commission, warning that Wednesday’s session marked the final attempt at reconciliation.
> “This is the last time we will sit here to resolve internal disputes,” he said pointedly.
“We have voted, we have cleared the commission, and we expect you to move forward.”
Lawmakers also faulted the commission for weak engagement with state governors, corporate bodies, development partners, and donor agencies beyond initial courtesy visits.
> “Latitude without delivery is wasted space,” one lawmaker said.
Senate Urges Alternative Funding, Regional Summit
One of the strongest messages from the Senate was a call on the NWDC to reduce dependence on federal allocations and explore innovative funding models.
Lawmakers urged the commission to convene a large-scale North-West regional summit involving technical institutions, private sector players, and development partners to unlock sustainable investments.
> “If funding stalls tomorrow, what is your Plan B?” a senator asked.
MD Defends One-Year ‘Foundational Phase’
In his response, Prof. Ma’aji presented a progress report covering January to December 2025, describing the NWDC as still being in its foundational phase following its establishment in 2024.
He outlined the commission’s operational scope — seven states, 186 local governments, over 2,000 wards, and an estimated population of about 54 million people.
According to him, achievements so far include:
Courtesy visits to all seven North-West governors
Participation in national retreats and development conferences
Development of organizational structure, corporate identity, website, and social media platforms
Engagements with international partners such as the World Bank, AfDB, IsDB, UNDP, JICA, GIZ, and the UK’s FCDO
He also unveiled conceptual proposals for a North-West Investment Company, Power Company, Transport Company, Commodity Exchange, water projects, and Centres of Excellence.
₦145.6bn Budget, Security Tops Agenda
On finances, the MD disclosed that the commission received an appropriation of about ₦145.6 billion, with allocations as follows:
Personnel: 5%
Overhead: 20%
Capital projects: 75%
Sectoral allocations include security (22%), agriculture (17%), education (15%), infrastructure (14%), health (13%), youth and women empowerment (11%), ecology (5%), and mining (3%).
Security, he said, will dominate the 2026 budget in line with presidential directives, focusing on law enforcement equipment, community security initiatives, rehabilitation of displaced persons, and grassroots intelligence.
He admitted that staff recruitment has not begun due to pending waivers but said approval from the Head of Service was imminent.
A major North-West Stakeholders’ Summit, fully funded by UK Aid, is scheduled to begin in January in Kaduna and will culminate in a regional master plan. Temporary headquarters, he added, have been secured in Kano.
‘Grace Period Is Over’
Despite acknowledging the groundwork laid, senators were blunt in their closing remarks.
> “We have heard your plans,” the Vice-Chairman said.
“Now we want to see execution. One year of preparation, funded or not, should produce results.”
The message from the National Assembly was unmistakable: the North-West Development Commission must move from frameworks to factories, from meetings to measurable outcomes — or face intensified legislative scrutiny in the months ahead.
