Senators divided over source of funding for Zonal Development Committees

Senators were divided on Thursday as they debated the source of funding for the newly created Zonal Development Committees, which were sanctioned by President Bola Tinubu.

All geopolitical zones have their Zonal Development Committees, with the exception of the Central-North zone, where the bill is currently receiving legislative attention.

Strong disagreement resulted over the source of funding when considering the bill creating the South-South Development Commission 2024 as an operational and structural model for the other Commissions.

The rancorous debate followed a report presented by the Senate Special Duties Committee, which recommended that 15% of Member States’ statutory appropriations should be used to fund the Commission by the federal government.”

In their remarks, Senators Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP Kebbi North), Wasiu Eshinlokun (APC Lagos East) and Seriake Dickson PDP Bayelsa West) argued that tampering with funds allocated to states would create a constitutional crisis.

They feared that the governors would go to court against the Federal Government, even though the governors based their expenditure proposal, including the minimum wage, on their resources.

Senator Yahaya Abdullahi said: “Mr President, distinguished colleagues, the 15% of statutory allocations of member states recommended for funding their zonal development committees would be litigated by some state governments.”

His line of argument was corroborated by other legislators in the Superior Legislative Chamber.

In an attempt to quickly correct the meaning of the 15% statutory allocation, Senate Vice President Barau Jibrin, drawing attention to the Committee’s report, posited that the member states’ 15% statutory allocation for funding their commission of zonal development, would not imply any deduction from its legal allocation.

“Mr President, distinguished colleagues, the 15% of the statutory allocation of member states, recommended for financing Zonal Development Commissions by the federal government, is not a deduction in any way.

“What is recommended, as contained in the report which was presented to us by the Special Duties committee and which is being considered by the Senate now, is that 15% of the statutory allocation of member states in a zonal development committee would, by way of calculation from the federal government, used to finance the Consolidated Revenue Fund commission,” he said.

Barau’s clarification did not dissuade skepticism, as some senators wondered about the possibility of financing the Commissions without legal deductions.

Amid the senators’ rancor, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, calmed the nerves.

“We do not need to debate whether 15% of the legal allocation of Member States in a commission would be deducted or not, taking into account the provisions of section 162 (subsection 4) of the 1999 Constitution, which authorizes the National Assembly to appropriate the Fund Consolidated Revenue or Federation Account.

“15% of the legal allocation of member states was recommended by the Senate and by extension the National Assembly for funding of their zonal development commission by the federal government, anyone who wants to go to court over this can do so,” he said he. .