Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group in Nigeria that represents all Igbo communities within and outside Nigeria, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to give assent to South East Development Commission passed by the 8th National Assembly.
According to the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, the Presidential assent to the Bill and establishment of the South East Development Commission would not only rehabilitate, resuscitate and propel development in the civil war ravage South-East zone of Nigeria but would enhance the economic revival of the entire country.
The Bill sought to establish the South-East Development Commission to “Serve as a Catalyst to Develop the Commercial Potentials of the South-East, Receive and Manage Funds from Allocation of the Federation for the Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Reparation for Houses and Lost Business of Victims of the Civil War and Address any Other Environmental or Developmental Challenges.”
The Commission when established would be funded by 15percent of the Federal Allocation from States within the region; Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States shall among other things, formulate policies and guidelines for the development of the South-East region.
It will among others: “conceive, plan and implement in accordance with the set rules and regulations, projects and programmes for the sustainable development of the South-East in the field of roads, education, health facilities, employment, water supply, electricity and commerce.
“Tackle ecological and environmental problems that arise from the soil erosion problems and other environmental challenges in the South-East and advice Federal Government and member states on the prevention and control of the erosion and environmental challenges.
“Identify factors inhibiting the development of the South-East and assist the member states in the formulation and implementation of the resources of the South-East”.
The enactment of the South -East Development Commission Bill target to rebuild the South-East and provide opportunity for the people to display their talent and contribute immensely to the development of the country.
Proponents of the Bill contended that it is sequel to the near failure of Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation (3Rs) of the South-East to reintegrate the people captured in the then Head of State, Yakubu Gowon declaration of ‘no victor, no vanquished’ at the end of the civil war.
However, since the Bill was passed about six months ago it has not received Presidential assent to make it an establishment Act for South East Development Commission, similar to the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and recently, the North East Development Commission.
Reacting to this development, John Nwodo, President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo called on President Buhari to demonstrate his oath of office and his declaration in the first inauguration that “he belongs to everyone and belongs to no one by putting his pen on that bill”.
Nwodo exclusively told BDSUNDAY that the South East is the most ravaged area of Nigeria as a result of the civil war during which the infrastructure in the zone was completely destroyed and since the end of the war, little or nothing has been done about that but with such Commission, the situation could be addressed.
He said as a zone which contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country and the economy generally, South deserved the same treatment such as the one given to the North East which apart from taking a chunk of the country’s defence budget, has a Commission established to rehabilitate and reintegrate areas affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
“No serious highway is in the South East. As I speak to you, Enugu-Onitsha Road is not motorable, Onitsha to Owerri is not motorable, Enugu-Port Harcourt is not motorable. The density of traffic in South East is the highest in the country. The South East Seaports are still in the drawing stage; nobody has given them federal attention.
“The railway line from Port Harcourt through Enugu-Makurdi-Maiduguri is still at the stage it was at the end of the war. There is no rail connection to Onitsha, the biggest market in West Africa. There is none to Abakiliki, the food basin of the South East. The South East is completely land-locked; it has no sea outlet.
“The commerce in the South East is second only to Lagos and Kano in terms of its contribution to the GDP if not more. If there is any bill that can contribute to the growth of the nation for special attention to be given to it is the South East. We are also an oil producing area, there are oil and gas reserves in Anambara, Imo, Enugu and Abia. Our coal has become comatose and coal drive this country development in transport and foreign earnings and it has been uncompensated by Nigeria up till today,” the Igbo leader stated.
Meanwhile, there are fears that the South East Development Commission Bill may not get assent or may be sent back to the 9th National Assembly for reconsideration.
Credible sources confided in BDSUNDAY that the presidency would certainly sent the Bill back to the National Assembly and it may be eventually killed as it was done in the House of Representatives in 2017.
The Bill was killed in the House of Representatives in 2017 and almost two years after, Senate, reintroduced and passed and only sent to the House of Representatives for concurrence in line with Nigeria’s bicameral legislature practice.
Before the concurrence, there was a fierce debate that almost torn the House apart along regional and party lines, as Hassan Shakarau from Kaduna State, not in support of the Bill warned against duplicity and wanton creation of Commissions, hence if not checked can become a demand from all geopolitical zones.
“If we continue like this, very soon we will have commission for every zone. My take is that we should find a way of taking care of these anomalies like this so that we don’t end up setting commissions for issues that we can prevent”, he said.
Also, Aminu Suleiman from Kano State asked the House to kill the Bill, recalling that it had been rejected by the House in 2017 and it does not matter whether it emanated from the Senate.
“This Bill was brought before this Chamber and it was debated through. It was stepped down. I do understand. We should look at Bill on the thorough objectives of Bills. I would want to plead without any sentiment that this Bill should not go,” Suleiman argued.
James Kwen, Abuja
