APC National Sec: S/West Devt Commission Will Address Infrastructural Deficits, Creates Jobs for Youth

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin 

National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Bashru, has said the recent assent of the President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to the South West Development Commission Bill would address the infrastructural deficits of the state’s that make up the South West part of the country.

Senator Basiru, a former spokesman of the 9th Senate also said it was three times while he was at the senate that his seat was relocated by the former Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan without any controversy from any quarters at the National Assembly.

The former lawmaker who represented Osun Central Senatorial District of Osun State at the National Assembly during the 9th Senate stated this in Ilorin over the weekend while speaking with THISDAY on the state of the nation.

The former lawmaker who lauded the transformational leadership of President Tinubu for assent to the South West Development Commission Bill and other regional developments commissions bills said there was no doubt that the gesture would bring necessary socio economic and infrastructural transformation of the people of the South West part of the country.

He said: “Every federation has its own peculiarities. At the inception of Nigeria, there were 3 regions, West, North and Eastern regions in the country before the creation of Mid-Western region in Nigeria. 

“And with the incursion of military government in Nigeria, the country was divided into 12 states, to 19 states, to 21 states and now have 36 states and FCT.

“But with the balkanisation of so-called federating units, the competence of those units to drive meaningful development and growth within the context of modern development has been hampered by the balkanisation of those units’ entity.

“Even, when our government of APC took over government in Osun state in 2011, we have to work with other state governors in the South West to set up what we called Development Agenda for the South West region which presently in the Cocoa House, Ibadan with the aim to leverage all our relative advantage of e- government so as to be able to collaborate to have meaningful development for the South West region of Nigeria. 

“There is no doubt that, this regional commission will be able to address the challenges that the balkanisation of the state’s entity with its attendant challenge they will be able to bring holistic meaningful development to the people of Nigeria.

“And, it will also address the infrastructural gap and providing opportunity to create wealth and jobs for the teeming youths in the South West region of the country”.

Senator Basiru who called on the members of the Senate to always protect the integrity of the Senate said that, “On three occasions, former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan relocated my seats and nothing happened.

He however advised the people of the country to continue to support President Tinubu in the efforts to build a virile nation.