NEDC and the Question of Priority: A Deviation from Its Statutory Mandate

The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) is a public institution established by law to address the extraordinary humanitarian and developmental crisis in North-Eastern Nigeria. 

The region has suffered prolonged devastation arising from Boko Haram insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, mass displacement, destruction of infrastructure, poverty, hunger, and educational collapse.

The North-East Development Commission was established pursuant to the North-East Development Commission (Establishment) Act, 2017, following the Bill's passage by the National Assembly. The Act was duly signed into law on 25th October, 2017.

Under the Act, the NEDC is a public institution whose stakeholders include the Federal Government of Nigeria, its agencies, international development partners, and, most importantly, the citizens of the North-East region.

The primary purpose of establishing the NEDC is clearly set out in Section 1 of the NEDC Establishment Act, 2017, which provides that the Commission shall be responsible for:

“Receiving and managing funds allocated by the Federal Government and international donors for the resettlement, rehabilitation, integration and reconstruction of roads, houses and business premises of victims of insurgency and terrorism, as well as tackling the menace of poverty, illiteracy, ecological problems and any other related environmental or developmental challenges in the North-East States; and for related matters.”

This provision leaves no ambiguity. The NEDC was not created as a general-purpose construction agency, nor as a support institution for already-funded federal establishments. Its mandate is victim-centered, development-driven, and intervention-focused.

Against this clear statutory mandate, the recent action of the NEDC in flagging off the construction of an office complex for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Borno State raises serious concerns.

The project, titled “NEDC Handover Site for the Construction of ICPC Borno State Command Office”, involved the official handover of a construction site at CBN Quarters along Damboa Road, Maiduguri, to contractors, with a completion timeline of six months.

While the ICPC is an essential institution in Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework, it must be emphasized that the ICPC is a Federal Government statutory body with an independent legal existence and its own budgetary allocation. It does not fall within the category of victims of insurgency, nor does it constitute a developmental intervention for the North-East as contemplated by the NEDC Act.

If the ICPC requires office accommodation in Borno State, the proper constitutional and administrative route is through:

1- The National Assembly,

2- The Presidency, or

3- Relevant Federal Ministries responsible for capital projects.

Diverting funds meant for six war-affected states to construct an office for another federal agency amounts to an apparent misalignment with the NEDC’s statutory objectives.

Misuse of Intervention Funds in Disguise

The use of NEDC resources to construct an ICPC office gives rise to the unfortunate perception of institutional inducement or indirect appeasement, particularly when such funds are drawn from funds meant to rehabilitate internally displaced persons, widows, orphans, out-of-school children, and devastated communities.

The law did not empower the NEDC to:

a- Build offices for federal agencies.

b-Fund administrative conveniences of statutory bodies;

c-Replace the budgetary responsibilities of the Federal Government.

The Real and Urgent Needs of the North-East

The North-East continues to face:

I- Massive hunger and food insecurity;

II-Collapsed educational systems and millions of Almajiri and out-of-school children;

III- Destroyed schools, hospitals, homes, and markets;

IV- Unemployment and youth restiveness;

V- Severe ecological and environmental challenges.

These are the exact problems the NEDC Act was designed to address.

A Call to Defend the Law and the People

The people of the North-East must stand united in defense of the law that created the NEDC. Civil society groups, community leaders, professionals, youth organizations, and the media must demand:

1- Strict compliance with the NEDC Establishment Act;

2- Transparency in project selection and funding;

3- Prioritization of human development over administrative structures.

The NEDC must remember that its loyalty is owed to the suffering people of the North-East, not to institutions of convenience.

Conclusion

The North-East Development Commission was created by law for a specific historical purpose—to heal a wounded region and restore dignity to its people. Any deviation from this mandate is not merely poor judgment; it is a betrayal of legislative intent and public trust.

The NEDC must refocus on education, infrastructure, resettlement, poverty eradication, and human capital development, as expressly mandated by law.

The people of the North-East deserve development, not diversion; justice, not symbolism; and lawful governance, not misplaced priorities.

Hamza Nuhu Dantani Esq

Rights Activists and Lawyer