Bill On North West Devt Commission Passes First Reading

A bill seeking the establishment of the North West Development Commission (NWDC), sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin has passed its first reading at the Senate.

Titled: North West Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2023, the bill passed through first reading during Tuesday’s plenary season of the Senate presided over by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The clerk to the Senate, Barrister Chinedu Akubueze, read the short title of the bill during the plenary session.

A statement from the Media Office of the Deputy President of the Senate said the commission when established would accelerate the development of the commercial and industrial potentials of the North West geopolitical zone, comprising seven states; Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto and Zamfara.

Also, the NWDC when established will receive and manage funds for the agricultural and industrial development of the North West geopolitical zone.

In the last 10 years, states in the North West geopolitical zone especially Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara have been battling with security challenges, thereby retarding their development.

Specifically, the commission, when established, will formulate policies and guidelines for the development of the North West in the areas of roads, education, health, employment, industrialization, agriculture, housing and urban development, water supply, electricity, and commerce.

The bill would soon be listed for a second reading for deliberation on its general merits and principles.