Senate passes bill establishing South-east Development Commission

The senate has passed a bill establishing the South-east Development Commission.

The bill was read for the third time and passed after Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, put it to a voice vote on Wednesday.

Emmanuel Paulker, senate chairman on establishment, had presented a report before the bill was put to a vote.

Paulker said the commission will be saddled with the responsibility of managing funds from the federation account for the socio-economic development of the south-east region.

The senator said the bill will address the clamour for restructuring and the “avalanche of complaints of marginalisation from the south-east”.

“The passage of the bill will no doubt lay to rest the incessant clamour and agitations from various quarters of complaints on marginalisation and decay of the zone and ensure the unity and warmness of this country,” the lawmaker said.

“The passage of this bill will be a bold step by the national assembly and indeed the country as it will bring to the fore, the government’s determination to keep every zone of this country as an integral part of the federation.”

In June 2017, there was uproar in the national assembly after the house of representatives rejected the bill. The senate had passed the bill for second reading at the time.

Here are highlights of the bill.

Clause 1 (4) of the bill provides that the president may, subject to the approval of the national assembly, wind up the commission after 10 years of its mandate.

Clause 2 of the bill provides for the establishment of the governing board of the commission.

It states that the governing board will be made up of one person from the other geopolitical zones.

Clause 13 provides for the appointment of a managing director and other staff of the commission.

Clause 15 (2a) provides that funding of the commission will come from federal government. The equivalent of 10 percent of the total monthly statutory allocation due to the member states of the commission from the federation account.

Clause 15 (2b) provides that one percent of the country’s ecological fund should be given to the commission.