Reps: Bill seeking to establish rural development commission scales second reading

House of Representatives, during Wednesday plenary, passed through Second Reading a bill seeking to establish National Commission for Rural Infrastructure and Development (NCRID).

The private member bill, sponsored by Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Hon. Saidu Abdullahi, who described rural development as strategic economic priority, added that Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable economic growth while millions of rural residents remain cut off from basic infrastructure and economic opportunities.

The proposed legislative framework seeks to establish NCRID as a coordinating and intervention agency, alongside a National Rural Development Fund to provide sustainable financing for rural infrastructure projects.

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Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Hon. Abdullahi argued that despite decades of public investment and development planning, Nigeria’s deepest infrastructure deficit remains in rural communities, where the majority of the population resides and where much of the country’s agricultural production and natural resources are concentrated.

Hon. Abdullahi argued that while several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) already oversee sectors such as roads, agriculture, water resources, power, education and health, there is currently no single institution responsible saddled with the responsibility of integrating rural infrastructure development across the country.

“The proposed commission is therefore not intended to replace or duplicate the statutory functions of existing Ministries, Departments and Agencies. Rather, it is designed to complement and strengthen their efforts by providing a unified institutional framework for financing, coordination, policy guidance, monitoring, technical assistance and performance evaluation,” he said.

When passed into law, the proposed commission would provide a national institutional framework for financing, coordinating, monitoring and supporting rural infrastructure and development programmes across the Federation.

He stressed that: “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.”

Like other existing intervention agencies such as Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund) and Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), he explained that the proposed Commission, when operational, will focus primarily on financing, coordination and oversight rather than direct project execution.

He explained that implementation of projects would largely be undertaken by State Rural Infrastructure and Development Boards or designated State agencies under a counterpart funding arrangement similar to the UBEC model.

Under the proposed framework, the Subnational governments are expected to prepare Rural Development Action Plans, provide counterpart funding, execute approved projects and account for the utilisation of intervention funds.

Hon. Abdullahi added that the proposed Commission will also strengthen accountability, promote ownership by state governments and encourage collaboration across the three tiers of government.

In the same vein, the proposed Commission is also expected to support investments in rural roads, bridges, potable water, sanitation, renewable energy, irrigation, healthcare facilities, schools, digital connectivity, markets, storage facilities and agro-processing centres.

He expressed optimism that the establishment of the interventionist Agency would boost agricultural production, strengthen food security, expand rural employment, encourage private investment and reduce migration from rural communities to already congested urban centres.

“This bill is not merely about creating another commission. It is about creating a national institution dedicated to ensuring that rural communities receive the infrastructure, investments and opportunities necessary for sustainable development,” the Niger lawmaker noted.

The proposed bill further seeks to establish a National Rural Development Fund, to be financed through federal appropriations, grants, development partner support, private sector contributions, counterpart funding by states, investment income and other lawful sources approved by the National Assembly including: appropriated portions of Value Added Tax (VAT) pool, returns due to Federal Government from the Sovereign Wealth Fund and other sovereign investment vehicles, as well as proceeds from assets finally forfeited in corruption-related cases, subject to legislative appropriation.

He stressed that the proposed legislative framework is anchored on the provisions of Section 14(2)(b) which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, as well as Section 16(2)(d), which mandates the state to provide infrastructure and other welfare measures necessary to improve citizens’ living standards, as encapsulated in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Hon. Abdullahi further cited South Korea’s Saemaul Undong rural transformation programme as evidence that coordinated government support, community participation and sustained infrastructure investment could dramatically reduce rural poverty and narrow the development gap between urban and rural areas.

He added that countries including India, China, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and the United States have also adopted specialised institutional frameworks to drive rural development.