Senate Passes Bill for Establishment of South East Development Commission

• Okays six-man NDIC board Wants Kaduna airport named after Abba Kyari

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The Senate Wednesday passed the Bill for the establishment of South East Development Commission as a catalyst to develop the commercial potentials of the geo-political zone.

The upper chamber of the National Assembly also confirmed the appointment of Mrs. Ronke Sokefun, and five others as Chairman and members of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, (NDIC).

The Bill for the establishment of the Commission, which was co-sponsored by Senators Samuel Anyanwu (Imo West) and Stella Oduah ( Anambra North), went through the third reading and was passed at plenary that was presided over by Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, Senator Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa Central), had in his presentation of the 22-page report for the establishment of the Commission, enjoined his colleagues to ensure the quick passage of the two-year old Bill so as to fasttrack the development of the zone and address the ecological problems facing the five states that make up the South East region.

Paulker thereafter moved the motion for the Senate Committee of the Whole to consider the committee’s report and was seconded by Senator Olamilekan Solomon ( Lagos West).

Ekweremadu at this point read out the 30-clause report one after the other for the Senate to approve.

Some of the amendments made to the Bill include Clause 4, which now reads that the Commission will run for 10 years before winding down and Clause 15 (2B) to read that one per cent and not 25 per cent of the monies due to member-states will come from the National Ecological Fund to fund the Commission.

The Bill awaits concurrence from the House of Representatives before it will be transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

Also yesterday, the Senate approved a six-man Board for the NDIC with Mrs. Ronke Sokefun as Chairman.

This was sequel to the presentation of a 14-page report of the Senator Rafiu Adebayo-led 13-man Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, urging the Senate to confirm the nominees as members of the Board of the corporation.

The other confirmed Board members are Alhaji Garba Bello, Brig-Gen Joseph Okoloagu (rtd), Mustapha Mudashiru, Festus Keyamo and Adewale Adeleke.

The seventh nominee, Alhaji Garba Buba, however, failed to appear before the committee for screening and was not recommended for consideration.

Ekweremadu while congratulating the new appointees urged them to live up to expectation and contribute their quota towards the improvement of the activities of the NDIC.

The Senate also yesterday urged the federal government to immortalise former governor of old North Central state, Brig-General Abba Kyari (rtd), by naming Kaduna Airport after him.

This was sequel to a motion on the need to honour the late Abba Kyari for his selfless service to Nigeria which was sponsored by Senator Baba Kaka Garbai (Borno Central) and 12 other Senators including Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, Senators Jeremiah Useni, Shehu Sani, Barnabas Gemade and Ali Ndume.

The Senate after observing a minute silence in honour of late Kyari resolved to send a high powered delegation to condole with the family, the people and government of Borno state.