South-South Development Commission Bill passes first reading

A bill for the establishment of a development commission for the South-South region was on Wednesday passed for second reading at the House of Representatives.

If eventually passed into law, the bill will see to a speedy development in the region especially, in the areas of rehabilitation of damaged infrastructures, among others.

Rep Awaji-Inombek Abiante (PDP, Rivers), who sponsored the bill, in his lead debate at the plenary of the lawmakers, said the commission would be saddled with the function to receive and manage funds from the Federation Account Allocation and other sources, donations, grants, aids for the integration, development, resolution of infrastructural deficit, militancy, communal crisis as well as to tackle ecological and environmental problems.

He further stated that the commission would also serve as a springboard for the engagement, integration and development of the South-South region as well as resolve issues of infrastructural deficit.

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Other things he said the commission would handle if the bill is passed into law include resolution of issues of militancy, communal crises as well as the ecological problems and any other related environmental or developmental challenges in the region.

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