Senate Passes North Central Development Commission Bill

The Nigerian Senate has passed the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) bill.

Naijaonpoint reports the NCDC bill was passed into law on Thursday, July 4, by the upper legislative chamber after considering the report of its committee on special duties, presented by its chairman, Senator Kaka Shehu.

The Bill was sponsored by the senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Abba Moro, and co-sponsored by all the senators from the North Central region.

The bill had initially passed first reading on the 5th of October, 2023, and second reading on February 21, 2024.

The bill was first sponsored in the 9th Senate by Senator Moro, where it passed first and second readings but could not get presidential assent before the expiration of the 9th Senate.

Moro had explained in his lead debate that the Commission when established, would be saddled with the responsibility of receiving and managing funds from the federal government and donors for the resettlement, rehabilitation, integration and reconstruction of roads, houses and business premises of victims of flood and farmers/herders clashes, communal clashes, construction of large format drainage systems, dredging of rivers Niger and Benue to control flood and incidental matters, as well as tackling the menace of poverty, illiteracy and other related environmental or developmental challenges facing the North Central Nigeria.