President Bola Tinubu on tuesday July 23, 2024 assented to the South East Development Commission and North West Development Commission Bills into law, setting the stage for the establishment of the two interventionist agencies to address development challenges in these regions, following years of insecurity.
Speaking on the significance, the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, for signing the bill into law, thereby approving the creation of the commission.
The bill sought to establish a commission that would be charged with the responsibility to receive and manage fund from allocation of the federation account for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads, houses and other infrastructural damage suffered by the region as a result of the effect of the civil war after 54 years.
The commission would as well tackle the ecological problems and any other related environmental or developmental challenges in the Southeast States which include Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and Enugu.
Reacting through a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Levinus Nwabughiogu, Kalu also thanked his colleagues in the national assembly and indeed, all Nigerians for supporting the bill.
He also conveyed the appreciation of all Ndi Igbo from the South East region, assuring them of more positive attention from the President.
You may recall that Kalu sponsored the bill in partnership with all lawmakers from the South East region.
Similarly, the Deputy Senate President Barau has commended President Tinubu for assenting the North-West Development Commission Bill, which is now an Act of the National Assembly.
Expressing his happiness on the presidential assent to the Bill, the Deputy President of the Senate in a media chat with journalists said the commission, when established, would help to drive development across the seven states in the North-West zone.
He explained that he sponsored the Bill as one of the federal lawmakers from the zone as a means of restoring development to the area after years of Boko Haram insurgency in some parts of the zone, armed banditry and other anti-development criminalities.
