President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed the Governing Board of the North West Development Commission, pending Senate confirmation.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), on September 28, 2024.
The move follows Tinubu’s signing of the North West Development Commission Bill into law on July 24, 2024, which the presidency views as a crucial milestone in the region’s development.
Board Composition
According to the statement, the nominees for the NWDC Governing Board are as follows:
- Chairman:Ambassador Haruna Ginsau (Jigawa)
- MD/CEO:Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji (Kano)
Members:
- Dr. Yahaya Umar Namahe (Sokoto)
- Hon. Aminu Suleiman (Kebbi)
- Sen. Tijani Yahaya Kaura (Zamfara)
- Hon. Abdulkadir S. Usman (Kaduna)
- Hon. Engr. Muhammad Ali Wudil (Kano)
- Shamsu Sule (Katsina)
- Nasidi Ali (Jigawa)
The presidency stated that the “nominated board members are expected to contribute their wealth of experience and expertise to the Commission’s mandate of developing the North-West region.”
They were advised to focus on catalyzing significant growth, economic empowerment, and social development in the region.
“President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to supporting the NWDC in its mission to bring sustainable development to the North West is steadfast,” the presidency added.
More Insights
Nairametrics previously reported on July 24, 2024, that the North-West Development Commission (Establishment) Bill and the South-East Development Commission (Establishment) Bill of 2023 were signed into law.
According to the presidency, these bills are designed to accelerate development across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
Providing additional details about the bills, the statement noted that the North-West Development Commission is established to facilitate the reconstruction of roads, houses, and business premises destroyed by various crises, and to address poverty, literacy levels, ecological problems, and other related environmental or developmental challenges in North-West states.
Similarly, the South-East Development Commission is created to ensure the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads, houses, and other infrastructure damaged in the region, as well as to tackle ecological problems and other related environmental or developmental challenges in South-East states.
Additionally, the statement emphasized President Tinubu’s commitment to fairness, equity, and unity, ensuring equitable development, inclusive governance, and quality services for all Nigerians, regardless of location, to strengthen national unity.
“President Tinubu believes in building the nation on the fulcrum of fairness, equity, and unity; hence, he is committed to ensuring equitable development, inclusive governance, and the provision of qualitative services to all Nigerians—no matter where they reside—while knitting the national fabric even more tightly together,” the presidency’s statement partly read.
