The House of Representatives at plenary on Wednesday, June 7, 2017 passed the North East Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2017 (NEDC).
Under the provisions of the Bill, the NEDC is charged with the responsibility of receiving and managing funds allocated by the federal government and international donors for the resettlement, rehabilitation, integration, reconstruction of roads and rehabilitation of houses and business premises of victims of insurgency and terrorism. The Commission will also be expected to tackle the menace of poverty, illiteracy, ecological problem and other related environmental or developmental challenges in the North East.
Although the National Assembly had earlier passed and transmitted the Bill to the President on 12th January, 2017 the Bill was later withdrawn and amended on May 17th 2017 after attention was drawn to some provisions in conflict with the Constitution. The passage of the North East Development Commission Bill bears a different experience from the South East Development Commission Bill that was rejected at plenary last Thursday.
