North West Development Commission bill passes first reading

A bill seeking the establishment of the North West Development Commission, NWDC, sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, has passed its first reading at the Senate.

Titled ‘North West Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2023’, the bill passed through first reading during Tuesday’s plenary session presided over by Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The Clerk to the Senate, Barrister Chinedu Akubueze, read the short title of the bill during the plenary session.

Ismail Mudashir, Special Adviser to the Deputy President of the Senate
(Media & Publicity) in a
statement said the Commission when established would accelerate the development of the commercial and industrial potentials of the North West geopolitical zone, comprising seven states – Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto and Zamfara.

Also, the NWDC when established will receive and manage funds for the agricultural and industrial development of the North West geopolitical zone.

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In the last 10 years, states in the North West geopolitical zone especially Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara have been battling with security challenges which have retarded their development.

Specifically, the Commission when established will formulate policies and guidelines for the development of the North West in the areas of roads, education, health, employment, industrialization, agriculture, housing and urban development, water supply, electricity, and commerce.

The bill would soon be listed for a second reading for deliberation on its general merits and principles.