The Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, on Thursday, hailed the passage of the bill seeking the establishment of the South-East Development Commission by the Senate saying, it is a welcome development as it would help develop the region.’
The Senate, on Thursday, passed the bill seeking the establishment of the SEDC, to be charged with the responsibility of receiving and managing funds from the allocation of the Federation Account for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads, houses, and other infrastructural damages suffered by the region as a result of the effect of the civil war.
The Red Chamber took the decision while considering the bill’s clauses at its Committee of the Whole, chaired by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
The House of Representatives had on December 21, 2023, at its Committee of the Whole chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who is also the sponsor of the bill, unanimously passed it for a third reading and sent it to the Senate for concurrence.
Some of the functions of the commission, when established, include to “conceive, plan and implement, in accordance with the set rules and regulations, projects and programmes for the sustainable development of the South East states in the field of transportation including roads, health, education, employment, agriculture, industrialization, housing and urban development, water supply, electricity and telecommunications; cause the South East states to be surveyed to ascertain measures which are necessary to promote its physical and socio-economic development.”
