Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives, yesterday, passed for second reading a bill for the establishment of the South South Development Commission (SSDC).
Sponsored by Awaji-Inombek Abiante, it stipulates that the proposed commission shall be responsible for the management of funds from the federation account and other sources to tackle infrastructural deficit, militancy, ecological problems among others in the South South geopolitical.
Abiante, in his lead debate, said the commission was needed to ensure speedy rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure in the South-South region and enhance quality of life in the area.
The lawmaker noted though many may question the rationale for the SSDC, when the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) already, the reality is that the NDDC caters for all the oil producing states in the country and not only the South South zones.
“It’s instructive to point out that the Niger Delta Development Commission created by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2000 merely replaced the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission( OMPADEC). It was for the development of oil producing areas or better still communities, which include areas and communities from States in the South East and South West, including Lagos, where oil was discovered in 2016.
“It is expected that membership of the NDDC will expand as oil exploration and commercial finds continues in the country. There is recently reported find of oil in the North East and when eventual commercial production commences, they are also expected to lay claim to the membership of the NDDC (North East).
“Also, the boundary contention between Kogi in North Central, Anambra and Enugu in South East, when resolved may make one more of the states or even all to be a member of the NDDC due to availability of oil in the disputed area.”