Senate amends regional development commissions, NYSC Trust Fund bills over funding concerns

The Senate on Wednesday revised the bills establishing regional development commissions and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Trust Fund to align their funding provisions with the Nigerian Constitution.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session, said the amendments were necessary to prevent any constitutional breaches. He noted that the original funding clauses in the bills appeared to contradict Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which governs the allocation of federally collected revenues.

To address this, the Senate approved amendments to Clauses 14 and 15 of the laws establishing the North-West, South-West, and South-East Development Commissions. Additionally, Clause 4(1) of the NYSC Trust Fund Bill 2025 was revised.

The amendments followed a motion titled “Re-committal of Bills to the Committee of the Whole” moved by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti). Bamidele recalled that both chambers of the National Assembly had previously passed the bills and forwarded them to the Clerk for transmission to President Bola Tinubu for assent.

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However, he explained that after review, the Senate observed contradictions between the funding provisions of the bills and constitutional revenue allocation guidelines.

“The Constitution is supreme, and any law that contradicts it shall be null and void to the extent of the contradiction,” Bamidele stated, referencing Section 1(1) and (3) of the 1999 Constitution.

To avoid passing legislation that could be legally challenged, the Senate invoked Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of its 2023 Standing Rules to rescind its previous decisions on the affected clauses and recommit them for reconsideration.

Following the amendments, Akpabio affirmed that all regional development commission bills were now in full compliance with the Constitution. He highlighted that Section 162, which mandates that all federally collected revenues be deposited into the Consolidated Revenue Fund, had been addressed in the revisions.

The revised bills will now be transmitted to President Tinubu for assent. Akpabio commended lawmakers for their swift action, describing their dedication and patriotism as a testament to their commitment to national development.