Scholarship Row: Group Asks Minister To Call NWDC Board Chairman To Order

The Northern Progressives Forum (NPF) has called on the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, to call the chairman of the Board of North-West Development Commission (NWDC), Lawal Samaila-Abdullahi, to order over alleged plans to create an unnecessary crisis in the interventionist commission.

The chairman of the group, Dayyabu Abdullahi, made the call while addressing a press conference in Kano, in reaction to a recent comment by the board chairman.

Recall that the board chairman had while speaking in an interview with a national daily, claimed that he was not aware of a scholarship programme going on in the commission.

But, reacting to the assertion, the group described Lawal’s comments as unsavoury, stressing that such comments were aimed at sabotaging the efforts of the managing director of the commission.

“Saying that he was not aware of the scholarship programme is an act of sabotage because the action of the Managing Director Professor Abdullahi Ma’aji is in line with the law. The Act that establishing the commission categorically states that their mandate is just to inform the board chairman about any key policy.

“Everyone knows that Professor Ma’aji is an astute academic with decades of experience, and we are confident that he will not do anything against the law.

“Since his assumption to office, he has been thirsty for bringing rapid development to the commission and has made it visible in the eyes of the common man.

“The Board Chairman is speaking because the MD has blocked all his selfish interests in the commission.

“What happened when he was at the Shippers Council, he was behind almost all the crisis, the council now is peaceful because Mr Lawal is not there.

“It’s obvious that Mr Lawal has never led anything peaceful, he is very controversial in any assignment given to him. We must resist every attempt by Lawal to destabilise the North West Development Commission.

“It is in his track record when he was SSG and at the Shippers Council, he made the government of Kaduna then not proactive and into unnecessary controversies.

“The MD must rise by continuing to act within the law guiding the Commission.

“It is not late that the Minister call him to order, and inform him of his schedule of duties as stated by the law,” the Forum stated.