To avoid contradiction, Senate amends development commissions Acts
By Tunde Opalana
The Senate on Wednesday made slight adjustments to the Acts establishing three of the geopolitical development commissions. They are the, North-west, South-West and South-East Development Commissions.
Specifically, clauses 14 and 15 of the acts establishing the commissions were amended to avoid contradiction with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Also amended is clause 4 (1) of 2025 National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund Establishment Bill.
The approval is sequel to the presentation of a motion “titled “Committal of Bills to the Committee of the Whole ”, sponsored by the leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central).
He recalled that North-West, South -West, South -East Development Commissions and the National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund establishment Bills 2025 were earlier passed by the Senate and House of Representatives .
Bamidele added that the bills had been forwarded to Clerk to the National Assembly, for onward transmission to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
However, he said the Senate observed that the funding clauses for the commissions and the proposed fund to be established as provided in the bills appeared to contradict section 162 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
He noted that section 1, subsections (1 ) and 3 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended provides that the constitution is supreme and any law that contradicts the constitution shall be null and void to the extent of the contradiction.
“Mindful that senate should not work in vain and should be seen to be observing the constitution like any other authority and persons in Nigeria relied on orders 1(b) and 52(6) of its standing order 2023 as amended to rescind its decisions on the affected clauses of the development commissions bills, NYSC Trust Fund Bill,” he said.
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This, he noted resulted in the re- committal of the bills to Committee of the Whole for reconsideration and passage.
The Senate Leader listed the affected clauses to include clause 14 of 2025 North-West, South-West- Development Commissions Establishment Bills, clause 15 of South -East Development Commission Establishment Bill and clause 4 (1)of the National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund Establishment Bill 2025.
After the bills were passed, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio said all the regional development commissions bills are in tandem with the Nigerian Constitution, especially section 162 which states that all funds accruing to the Federation shall be paid into the consolidated revenue fund of the Federation.
He said that the bills would be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
