By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja

The Senate was at war yesterday resulting in heated arguments over the source of funding for the various Zonal Development Commissions created earlier by both chambers of the National Assembly. This was even as it struck out some provisions of section 23 of their establishment bills, which granted operational immunity to both the Board and Executives of the Commissions.

The imbroglio, occasioned by lack of agreement for a common approval ground for the source of funding for the Commissions by the Senators arose during clause by clause consideration of the South – South Development Commission Establishment bill 2024 in plenary which was used as operational and structural template for the other Commissions.

The Senate Committee on Special Duties, chaired by Kaka Shehu (APC, Borno Central) had earlier in its report recommended 15% of Statutory allocations of member states in a commission should be used to fund the Commission by the Federal Government; a move Senators like Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP, Kebbi North), Wasiu Eshinlokun (APC, Lagos East), Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West) among others objected to.

In his disapproval speech, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi said that the provision would lead to litigation against the Federal Government by the State Governments as no state would like its statutory allocation to be tampered with in the process of funding a zonal development commission.

“Mr President, Distinguished colleagues, the 15% of statutory allocations of member States recommended for funding of their zonal development commissions would be litigated against by some state governments”, he said.

In a bid to quickly correct the meaning read into the 15% statutory allocation of the State by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi and many other Senators who indicated interest to comment, the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, quickly rose to correct their impression.

Senator Barau in his explanation told the Senate that the 15% Statutory allocation of member states for funding of their zonal development commission would not entail any deduction from their statutory allocation.

“Mr President, Distinguished colleagues, the 15% of Statutory allocation of member states as recommended for funding of Zonal Development Commissions by the Federal Government is not about deduction at all.

“What is recommended as contained in the report presented to us by the Committee on Special Duties and being considered by the Senate now is that 15% of statutory allocation of member states in a zonal development commission would by way of calculation come from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

“Each state has monthly statutory allocation, 15 % of which as contained in this report being considered will be calculated by the federal government and removed from the consolidated Revenue Fund for funding of their Development Commission.

Despite Barau’s explanation, many of the Senators still not convinced, indicated their interest to speak but were prevented from doing so by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio who pointed out that the provision was in order as constitutionally supported.

“We don’t need to be debating on whether 15% statutory allocation of member states in a commission would be deducted or not in view of provisions of section 162 ( subsection 4) of 1999 constitution which empowers the National Assembly to appropriate from either the Consolidated Revenue Fund or Federation Account .

“15 % of statutory allocation of member states has been recommended by the Senate and by extension , National Assembly , for funding of their zonal development commission by the federal government, anybody who wants to go to court over that may do so “, he said .

He consequently put the question on adoption of the provision for voice votes to Senators and ruled that the ayes have it.

In his remarks after the passage of the consolidated bills, Akpabio thanked the Senators for spending several hours on final consideration and amendment of the Zonal Development Commission which, according to him, would serve as bedrock for the newly created Ministry of Regional Development.

The bills considered and passed were the South – South Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024, North West Development Commission Act (Amendment) Bill 2024, South East Development Commission Act (Amendment) Bill 2024 apart from the South West Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024 and North Central Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024 earlier passed.