An Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Barrister Hamza N. Dantani, has accused the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) of straying from its legal mandate following its decision to construct an office complex for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Borno State.
The criticism comes amid concerns that funds meant for the resettlement and rehabilitation of insurgency-hit communities are being diverted to projects outside the scope of the NEDC’s founding law.
Dantani argues that the NEDC, established to address the humanitarian and developmental crisis caused by years of insurgency in the North-East, should focus strictly on victim-centered and development-driven interventions.
According to the constitutional lawyer, “The NEDC’s primary purpose, as established by the North-East Development Commission (Establishment) Act, 2017, is to address the humanitarian and developmental crisis in North-Eastern Nigeria, focusing on resettlement, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of infrastructure, as well as tackling poverty, illiteracy, and environmental challenges.”
He maintained that the ICPC, as a federal agency with its own statutory funding, does not qualify as a beneficiary under the NEDC Act and cannot be classified as a victim of insurgency.
The NEDC has executed projects across infrastructure, healthcare, education, and agriculture in the region, but critics insist that such efforts risk being undermined if the commission prioritises administrative projects over urgent humanitarian needs.
The North-East region continues to grapple with the long-term effects of Boko Haram insurgency, including mass displacement, destruction of schools and hospitals, hunger, poverty, and widespread educational collapse.
Dantani insisted, “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.”
He further stated, “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.”
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, he added, “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 lawyer stressed that the Act establishing the NEDC does not empower it to build offices for federal agencies or take over capital responsibilities meant for the Federal Government through the National Assembly or relevant ministries.
He stressed that the commission must urgently refocus on education, resettlement, infrastructure, poverty eradication, and human capital development, warning that any continued deviation from its mandate would amount to a betrayal of public trust and legislative intent.
