Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong Senator representing Cross Rivers South senatorial district, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, has raised a bill calling for the creation of the South-South Development Commission even with the existence of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, which had engulfed trillions of naira since its establishment decades ago with no remarkable achievement in the south-southern region.
Although NDDC constitutes three additional states out of the South-South region, the geopolitical zone stood out as the only region in Nigeria that has enjoyed receiving special treatment from the federal government of Nigeria for decades.
Considerably, NDDC has been headed by people predominantly hailing from the south-south, since its creation, and the request for the creation of the South-South Development Commission could meet very tough debate on the floor of the house.
A statement released by Senator Ekpenyong's media aid, recently, showed that "The bill proposing the creation of the South-South Development Commission has successfully passed its first reading. It is officially known as the Establishment Bill, 2024 (SB, 358), and is sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong representing Cross River South and co-sponsored by all South-South Senators.
Senator Ekpenyong disclosed that the bill was necessitated by the proposed Development Commissions for the North West, South West, North Central, and South East. He noted that three other states in the NDDC are not in the South-South region.
Abia and Imo States, which are part of the NDDC, are also included in the proposed South East Development Commission just as Ondo, which is part of the NDDC, is included in the proposed South West Development Commission.
The proposed South-South Development Commission is necessary to ensure equity amongst the 6 geopolitical zones, Senator Ekpenyong claimed even though it is not known yet if Abia, Imo and Ondo states would remain in NDDC after bills establish the Southwest Development Commission and Southeast Development Commission finally receive presidential assent.
Category: World-News
Tag: After NDDC Senator Moves for the Creation of South South Development Commission
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Published 2/25/2024 9:57:06 AM