Senate Passes Bill to Establish South East Development Commission

The Senate has passed a bill seeking to establish the South East Development Commission, almost two months after it was passed by the House of Representatives.

During plenary on Wednesday, the Senate Leader, Michael Opeyemi, presented the Bill for an Act to Act as a Catalyst to Develop the Commercial Potentials of the South East and for Other Connected Matters, 2024 (HB.626) for concurrence and second reading.

The bill, which had been passed by the 8th Senate but was not received by former President Muhammadu Buhari, was finally passed by the House of Representatives in December 2023, following years of agitation and attempts at the National Assembly.

The Senate’s passage of the bill followed its presentation by Senator Bamidele and consideration at the Committee of the Whole. Several amendments were made to the bill before its passage.

Notably, the inclusion of representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was removed, and it was agreed that each of the six geopolitical zones would have a representative on the commission’s board.

Senator Jibrin Barau supported this decision, noting that the commission should reflect national representation, similar to bodies like the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the North East Development Commission (NEDC).

Further amendments were made to the bill, including the designation of three executive directors for Finance and Account, Projects, and Corporate Services, as requested by several senators.

After clause-by-clause consideration, the bill was passed for a third reading and eventually passed by the Senate.

Senator Akpabio expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would assent to the bill, emphasizing the urgent need to leverage the approved commission to accelerate the development of the Southeast geopolitical zone.