Reps Move To Establish Rural Infrastructure Development Commission

The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a bill seeking to establish the National Commission for Rural Infrastructure and Development (NACRID) to provide a coordinated framework for financing, monitoring and supporting rural infrastructure projects across Nigeria.

Sponsored by the member representing Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal Constituency of Niger State, Hon. Saidu Musa Abdullahi, the bill seeks to create an institutional framework that would advance the constitutional objectives of government through a coordinated approach to rural infrastructure and development.

Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Abdullahi said the proposed legislation was informed by the persistent infrastructural deficit in rural communities despite years of development planning and significant public investments.

According to the lawmaker, the majority of Nigerians reside in rural communities, which also serve as the nation’s agricultural backbone and are a major source of natural resources.

However, he said the communities continue to suffer from inadequate road networks, poor access to potable water, unreliable electricity supply, weak healthcare services, insufficient educational facilities, poor digital connectivity, limited access to markets and inadequate economic opportunities.

Abdullahi argued that these challenges have continued to fuel poverty, unemployment, food insecurity and the migration of productive populations from rural areas to urban centres.

“No nation can attain sustainable economic growth while neglecting the communities that produce its food, supply its raw materials and sustain its local economy. Rural development must therefore be regarded not merely as a social obligation but as a strategic economic priority,” Abdullahi said.

The sponsor anchored the bill on constitutional provisions, citing Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which declares that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.

He also referenced Section 16(2)(d) of the Constitution, which mandates the state to provide adequate shelter, food, a reasonable national minimum living wage, old-age care, pensions, unemployment and sickness benefits, while ensuring the development of infrastructure necessary to improve the welfare of citizens.

Drawing lessons from previous government interventions, Abdullahi recalled the role played by the defunct Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI), noting that although the agency had its shortcomings, it demonstrated that targeted investments in rural infrastructure could significantly improve livelihoods and stimulate economic activities.

He explained that the proposed NACRID differs from the former DFRRI by being founded on modern principles of transparency, accountability, sustainable financing, intergovernmental collaboration, digital monitoring and legislative oversight.

The lawmaker acknowledged that existing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) already perform statutory functions in sectors such as roads, agriculture, water resources, power, health, education and communications.

However, he argued that there is currently no single national institution specifically responsible for financing, coordinating, monitoring and supporting integrated rural infrastructure development across the federation.

“As a result, interventions are often fragmented, funding is inconsistent, planning is sectoral rather than integrated, and many rural communities remain underserved,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed commission is not intended to duplicate or replace the responsibilities of existing MDAs. Rather, it is designed to complement their mandates by providing a unified institutional framework for financing, policy coordination, technical support, monitoring and performance evaluation.

He likened the proposed commission to successful intervention agencies in other sectors.

“In essence, NACRID will do for rural infrastructure what TETFund has done for tertiary education and what UBEC has done for basic education by providing a dedicated intervention mechanism that mobilises resources, supports implementation and ensures accountability,” he said.

The sponsor further explained that one of the major innovations of the bill is that NACRID is not intended to function as another project-executing bureaucracy.

“Instead, the commission would primarily serve as a financing and coordinating institution responsible for intervention and monitoring, while actual project implementation would largely be undertaken by State Rural Infrastructure and Development Boards or designated state agencies through a counterpart funding arrangement similar to that adopted by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

“Under the proposed framework, states would be required to prepare Rural Development Action Plans, provide counterpart funding, execute approved projects and account for the utilisation of intervention funds,” he said.

According to Abdullahi, the arrangement is designed to promote ownership, accountability, sustainability and stronger collaboration among the federal, state and local governments in addressing Nigeria’s rural infrastructure challenges.