S’East commission bill resurfaces in Senate, scales first reading

 Fred Itua, Abuja

The Senate, yesterday, re-introduced a Bill seeking to establish the South East Development Commission (SEDC). 

The bill, which scaled first reading on the floor, was passed by the Eight Senate, but mot signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Clause 15 (2a) of the bill which identifies source of funding for the commission, stipulates that the equivalent of 10% of the total monthly statutory allocation due to the member states of the commission shall be from the federation account.

The bill sponsored by Stella Oduah, also seeks the establishment of a governing board for the commission which shall include one person for the other geopolitical zones in the country.

Meanwhile, the Senate has indicated interest in amending the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) to provide for a smooth transition of legislative powers from an outgoing to an incoming National Assembly.

The National Assembly also seeks to reinforce, through constitutional amendment, the powers of the President to dissolve the outgoing National Assembly and convene the first session as contained in the National Assembly bill, 2019.

The decision to amend the Constitution in this direction was reached after consideration of the National Assembly Inauguration bill, 2019, which was eventually stood down on Wednesday in the Senate to enable issues raised in the bill to be addressed through a process of constitutional amendment.

Sponsor of the bill, Senator Gabriel Suswam, in his lead debate, said the bill among other things, seeks to ensure a smooth transition of legislative powers from the out-going National Assembly to the in-coming one.

This, according to Suswam, would be achieved by providing a comprehensive legal framework for managing and coordinating the inauguration and swearing-in of newly elected or in-coming Senators or Members elect after the dissolution of the outgoing National Assembly by the President in exercise of his powers under section 64(3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The lawmaker added that though Section 311 of Chapter VIII, Part I of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, makes transitional provisions with respect to Standing Orders of the Senate, no such transitional and saving provisions are contained in any extant law with respect to the Standing Orders of any out-going and in-coming National Assembly.