S’ East, S’ West, N’ Central to get devt. commissions
By Tunde Opalana
Three bills seeking to establish development commissions for the Southeast, Southwest and North Central on Wednesday scaled second reading in the Senate.
A bill for the establishment of a similar commission for the Northwest had, last week, scaled a second reading in the upper legislative house.
Agitations for the establishment of development commissions at geopolitical level followed the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the North East Development Commission (NEDC).
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The commissions are designed to be special purpose vehicles for socio- economic and infrastructural development of the zones.
Senate Leader, Bamidele Opeyemi presented the Bill for an Act to establish the Southeast Development Commission for concurrence and second reading.
The House of Representatives had in December, 2023 passed the long-awaited bill after years of agitation.
The bill to establish the Southwest Development Commission was sponsored by Senator Gbenga Daniel.
Daniel said the commission if established, will be charged with the restructuring and rehabilitation of infrastructural damage in the region. It wil also tackle ecological, environmental and other developmental challenges.
According to him, the envisaged commission would come with a financial implication of N1.5 billion.
The bill for the North Central Development Commission was sponsored by Senators Musa Sani and Abba Morro.
If established, it will serve as catalyst in the development of the vast economic potential in the the zone as well as address the gap in infrastructural development.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio applauded his colleagues for the bills noting that they are important in ameliorating the suffering of Nigerians and improving their standard of living.
He noted that the development of any part of Nigeria will translate to the development of the entire country.
