Senate approves 15% funding for zonal development commissions by member states – News – The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

The Senate on Thursday approved 15 percent of the consolidated fund as a source of financing for the new zonal development commissions created by member states.

(Announcement)

This followed the consideration and adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Special Duties on the bills establishing the committees.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the previously passed zonal development commission bills included: South-South Development Commission Establishment Bill, 2024 and the South-South Development Commission (Amendment) Bill, Northwest Development, 2024.

Others were: South East Development Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024, South West Development Commission Establishment Bill, 2024 and North Central Development Commission Establishment Bill, 2024.

Earlier, the lawmakers, during the clause-by-clause analysis of the report on the bills, were involved in heated debates over the source of funding for the various zonal development committees.

Their different positions resulted in the deletion of some provisions of Section 23 from the various bills.

The section granted operational immunity to the board and chief executives of the commissions.

The Special Duties Commission recommended in its report that 15 percent of the statutory appropriations of member states of a commission should be used to finance the commission by the Federal Government.

Supporting the recommendation, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC-Kano) said 15 percent of Member States’ legal allocation for funding their zonal development commission would not result in any deduction from their legal allocations.

“Mr President, distinguished colleagues, the 15 percent of the legal allocation of member states recommended for financing zonal development commissions by the federal government is not deductions at all.

“What is recommended is contained in the report that was presented to us by the special assignments committee and which is now being considered by the Senate.

“It is that 15 percent of the legal allocation of member states in a zonal development commission will be used to finance the commission from the consolidated revenue fund.

“Each state has a monthly legal allocation; The 15 percent contained in this report under consideration will be calculated by the federal government and taken from the consolidated revenue fund to finance its development commission,” Jibrin said.

However, Senators Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP-Kebbi), Wasiu Eshinlokun (APC-Lagos) and Seriake Dickson (PDP-Bayelsa), among others, raised concerns over the recommendation.

Yahaya specifically said the provision would lead to litigation against the federal government by state governments, saying no state would like its legal allocation to be tampered with in the process of funding a zonal development commission.

“Mr President, distinguished colleagues, the 15 percent of member states’ statutory allocations recommended for funding their zonal development committees will be challenged by some state governments,” he said.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks, said the provision was in order as constitutionally supported.

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“We do not need to debate whether 15 percent of the Member States’ legal allocation of a commission will be deducted or not, taking into account the provisions of Section 162(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the National Assembly to appropriate the Consolidated Revenue Fund or Federation Account.

“15 percent of the legal allocation of Member States was recommended by the Senate and, by extension, the National Assembly, for financing their zonal development committees by the federal government; anyone who wants to go to court about this can do so,” he said.

Consequently, Akpabio put the question on the adoption of the provision for verbal votes to the senators and ruled that the ‘yes’ have it.

He later thanked the legislators for taking time to consider the bills on zonal development commissions which, he said, would serve as a pillar for the newly created Ministry of Regional Development.