The Senate has passed for second reading bills seeking the establishment of the North West Development Commission (NWDC) and the National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund.
The passage of the two bills for the second reading by the Senate was done separately after the lead and general debates.
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Leading the debate on the proposed North West Development Commission (NWDC), the deputy president of the Senate, Jibrin Barau, who sponsored it, said the proposed commission, when established, would serve as a catalyst to develop the potential of the North West as well as address the gap in the infrastructural development of the region.
He lamented that the infrastructure of the zone has been immensely destroyed by the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents, armed bandits, and kidnappers across the region, leading to the exodus of investors, businessmen, managers of companies, and employees.
The destruction, he posited, is having a major impact on the economy of the region, as it has led to severe food shortages and unemployment in a region that has traditionally produced cash and food crops across the Sahel.
He added that some parts of the region are currently facing the problem of desertification, which has led to agriculture and other economic activities suffering, thereby creating more poverty in the zone.
According to him, when established, the commission shall formulate policies and guidelines for the development of the North West Zone, where security shall prevail, (b) To rebuild the roads, medical, educational, social, agricultural, and other infrastructure destroyed in the region by the activities of Boko Haram insurgents and bandits and conceive, plan and implement, in accordance with the set rules and regulations, projects and programmes for the sustainable development of the North West in the field of roads, education, health facilities, employment, industrialization, agriculture, housing and urban development, water supply, electricity and commerce.
It will also identify factors inhibiting the development of the region and assist the member states in the formulation and implementation of policies to ensure sound and efficient management of resources in the North West Zone and tackle ecological and environmental problems that arise from desertification problems and other related environmental challenges in the zone.
“The enactment of this Bill will help to rebuild the North West Zone and shall provide the opportunity for the people of the Zone to display their talents and contribute immensely to the development of the country,” he stressed.