In a historic move towards balanced regional development, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday signed into law two landmark bills: the South-West Development Commission (SWDC) and South-South Development Commission (SSDC).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the presidential assent during plenary, marking the completion of Nigeria’s geo-political development architecture.
This decisive action means all six of Nigeria’s geo-political zones now possess statutory development agencies, creating a uniform framework for addressing regional infrastructure and economic challenges.
The newly established commissions join their counterparts – the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and others – in the national development ecosystem.
“Just to inform distinguished senators that Mr President has assented to the remaining regional development bills, the South-west Development Commission Bill and the South-south Development Commission Bill. We now have all the developmental commissions legally in existence,” Mr Akpabio said.
The Senate also commended President Tinubu for signing the bills establishing the commissions into law.
The established regional commissions are tasked with enhancing infrastructure, economic growth, and social welfare within their respective regions.
Mr Akpabio expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his cooperation with the National Assembly.
He said the commissions would create more jobs for Nigerians and facilitate grassroots development.
“We thank the president. We are grateful for his cooperation. We are grateful for creating jobs. We are also grateful to have taken development to the grassroots level,” he added.
Legislative journey of the Development Commission Bills
The SWDC Bill was passed by the Senate in September 2024 with majority support before being transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence. It was sponsored by Ogun East Senator, Gbenga Daniel.
Similarly, the SSDC Bill was passed in October 2024 and forwarded to the House of Representatives. The bill was sponsored by Cross-River South Senator, Asuquo Ekpenyong.
These new commissions join the North-west Development Commission (NWDC) and the South-east Development Commission (SEDC), both of which were signed into law by President Tinubu in July 2024. Their respective boards have since been constituted and confirmed by the Senate.
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