Senate Passes South-West Dev’t Commission Bill

The Senate, on Thursday, passed for third reading, the South-West Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024.

The development was sequel to the adoption of a report on the Bill submitted by the chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties, Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan.

Senator Kaka, in his presentation of the report, said the intents and purposes of the Bill were well structured for socio-economic development of South-West zone of Nigeria.

“If the Commission is established through presidential assent to the Bill, it will, like other development-driven commissions established on zonal basis, receive funds from the Federation Account, donations from development partners, etc, to address infrastructural deficits and tackle ecological problems in the region,” he said.

The Senate, thereafter, moved into the Committee of the Whole for a clause by clause consideration of the Bill, after which it was read for the third time and passaged accordingly.

In his remarks after the passage of the Bill, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, commended Senator Kaka-led committee for a job well done.

According to him, the South-West Development Commission, like similar others, recently established, will address the infrastructural and ecological challenges in the South-West.

“The essence of the various development commissions being set up is to fast-track development of the entire country.

“President Bola Tinubu has assented similar Bills passed for zonal development-driven interventions and will surely assent to this one,” Senator Barau assured.