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Fred Itua, Abuja
There was anger on the floor of the Senate, yesterday, during a debate on a Bill seeking the establishment of South West Development Commission.
The proposed legislation sponsored by Ibikunle Amosun and 17 others, was nearly rejected when some lawmakers outside the Southwest kicked against it. The general debate from the lead submissions went on smoothly with support from three other senators who spoke after him.
But Adamu Muhamnad Bulkachuwa changed the trend when he said what the Development Commission Bill is seeking was not needed by Sout West since the zone was not at anytime ravaged by national calamities or disasters of long durations experienced in the Niger Delta and North East, which necessitated the Development Commissions set up there at different times.
He said passing the Bill by the Senate will amount to tacit support for the zone in its alleged wrong moves in recent time from Amotekun to South West Development Commission.
“The bill, to me, is uncalled for because South West is not in anyway in situations warranting emergency development- driven interventions from the Federal Government as was the case with the Niger Delta as regards environmental degradation and oil spillage which warranted a development commission in the mode of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) eventually created by Act of Parliament in year 2000.
“Similar emergency situation gave birth to the North East Development Commission (NEDC ) after years of Boko Haram insurgency which wreaked devastating havoc in the area.
“The aforementioned destructive incidences did not happen in the South West , making the bill spurious. Infact if the truth must be told, South West is the most developed part of the country requiring no urgent intervention the bill is seeking for,” he said .
Peter Nwaoboshi warned against balkanisation of Nigeria with proliferation of Zonal Development Commissions.
The debate got heated when Surujudeen Bashir Ajibola slammed Bulkachuwa for describing Amotekun and the South West Development Commission Bill as sectional.
Ajibola was, however, cautioned by Ahmad Lawan to make his own contribution for or against the bill and not attack any senator .
The bill scaled second reading when it was put to voice votes by the senate president who later refered it to the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters for more legislative inputs and report back within four weeks
