November 1, 2017

The Senate on Wednesday commended President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting to the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) Bill and his commitment to the plight of the North-east region.
just as agitation for similar commissions heightened in the Upper Legislative Chamber.
The lawmakers also commended the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, and the leadership of the Senate for their initiation and support which would see to the restoration of normal life in the North-East.
The upper legislative chamber however urged the Federal Government to make adequate financial provisions in the 2018 Budget for the commission’s appropriate take-off.
It also urged donor agencies to continue to support the North-East through the newly established NEDC.
This was sequel to a motion on “The Assent of the North-East Development Commission” sponsored by Sen. Danjuma Goje during plenary.
Presenting the motion on behalf of Goje, Leader of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, noted that the North East Development Commission Bill was passed by the National Assembly and assented by the president on Oct. 26.
He said the assent to the Bill marked the establishment and take-off of the NEDC to receive and manage funds allocated by the Federal Government and international donor agencies.
“This is for the resettlement, rehabilitation, integration and reconstruction of roads, houses and business premises of victims of insurgency as well as tackling the menace of poverty and environmental challenges of the area.
“Coordinate projects and programmes within the master plan for the rehabilitation, resettlement, reconciliation, reconstruction and sustainable development of the North-East Zone in the fields of infrastructure, human and social services, including health and nutrition, education and water supply.”
He further explained that the commission is also to liaise with other stakeholders on the tackling of humanitarian, ecological and environmental problems and degradation that may arise from natural causes.
He said the establishment of the commission was a direct response by the administration to address the widespread devastation inflicted on the zone by the activities of Boko Haram insurgents which had been around for the past eight years.
Lawan explained that the commission would end the huge humanitarian crisis in the North-East that no other committee or institution could have within the short and long term.
The senate leader said the recruitment exercise of those who will man the commission was very significant and very imperative.
“Therefore, we are advocating for people of competence, skills and patriotism to head the commission. It should not be based on sentiments,” he said.
Contributing, Sen. Ben Bruce (PDP-Bayelsa) said “we should be careful with these multiple commissions we are setting up.
“It has passed into law; but if 50 per cent of the budget is spent on overhead, it will defeat the very purpose it was set up’’.
Similarly, Sen. Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) said the law was a trigger to a new dawn in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria.
He said the law would initiate a process to which poverty and human degradation that had been the factor instigating violence and crisis in the affected region would actually be addressed.
“All that is necessary is for us to learn lessons from the failures of the past. As the Bill been assented to, and a commission is going to be established, I think there should be priorities.
“The basic objectives and goals to which this Bill was set to achieve must be the focus of the commission in the future,” Sani said.
Also speaking, Sen. Kabiru Marafa (APC-Zamfara) said: “I am one of the few people that opposed the Bill during its second reading. This is because, I believe that is not the way to go about it in the first place.
“I do believe that the North-East suffered a very terrible and devastating war called Boko Haram.
“Secondly, there was no justice in the Bill because Kano and Plateau and some parts of FCT suffered consequences of Boko Haram.
“We felt they must be included. In the thinking of this chamber, we included Kano and Plateau as part of the Bill; but as it came out, during the conference committee Kano and Plateau were shut out.
“We have no misgivings, all what we did was in good fate, and what they did they did in good fate,” he said.
In his submission, Sen. Sam Anyanwu (PDP-Imo) said as lawmakers, they had shown truly that Nigeria was a united nation.
“The cry of the people of the North-East was heard by the senate that is why we supported this Bill.
“With this, I am sure that the restructuring has started, I believe when it comes to other zones, we should also do justice,” he said.
While giving an additional prayer, Sen. Jibrin Barau (APC-Kano) said whenever in the future there would be an amendment of the Act Kano and Plateau states should be included as parts of the commission.
He was seconded by Sen. Jeremiah Hussein (PDP-Plateau).
The additional prayer was however thrown out after a voice vote by the Deputy President of the Senate, Mr Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary.
In his remarks, Ekweremadu thanked Buhari for assenting to the Bill, saying it is a major contribution to the development of the North-East especially the areas that were ravaged by the crisis.
“We appeal that this commission addresses the humanitarian crisis in the North-East effectively.
“I commend the armed forces that provided the enabling environment for this rehabilitation to have commenced in earnest,’’ he said.
He added that the senate had shown some sheer commitment to the development of Nigeria and meeting the aspirations of Nigerians irrespective of the part of the country that was concerned.