The Senate on Wednesday condemned the unceasing spate of terror attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East, saying about five million Nigerians have been displaced by the sect.
The concern raised about the activities of the terror group followed the second reading of two Bills seeking the establishment of North-East Development Commission that would be responsible for rebuilding the zone on the floor of the Senate.
One of the bills entitled, “A Bill for an Act to Establish the North-east Development Commission to address the devastation caused by insurgency and other connected matters (2015)..’ was sponsored by Senate Leader Ali Ndume, while Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano South) sponsored the second one known as, “A Bill for an Act to Establish North-East Development Commission charged with the responsibility among other things to receive and manage funds from allocation of the Federation Account and international donors for the settlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, houses and business premises of victims of insurgency and for other related matters (2015).”
The bills were consolidated to provide a legal framework for the coordination of activities for rehabilitation of internally displaced persons and reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed in the North-East.
Painting a pathetic picture of what the people of the North-East were going through in the hands of the insurgents, Gaya said over 15,000 lives were lost while over 5 million people were internally displaced due to the crisis in the region.
He said in view of the level of devastation in the region, an urgent, well-planned rescue programme to rebuild the region was necessary because Nigeria has the largest population rate of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
“While military activities continue in the affected areas, there is an urgent need for the commission to help rehabilitate and reconstruct infrastructure in the areas.”
Senate President Bukola Saraki said the bill would be referred to the Senate Committees on Establishment and Special Duties and be expected in the Senate in four weeks for third reading.
Applauding Gaya and Ndume for their effort in ensuring that the consolidated bill passed second reading, Saraki noted that the progress made with regard to the bill was evidence that the 8th Senate was committed to rehabilitating the North-East.
He said, “We agreed that the issue of the North-East is not only for the North-East but for the entire country. We made a commitment that we will come up with a Bill that will address the problems in the region and I am happy that we are doing that.
“Our work is not done yet. The committees responsible should ensure to present the report in four weeks so that it can be read the third time and passed. I am happy that our commitment shows Nigerians what we have said, that this 8th Senate is representing Nigeria. We are not representing our various constituencies or our parties. We are here to serve Nigeria and I am very proud of what we have done today,’’ he said.
Some senators who supported the bill included included those from the North. They expressed their total support for the passage of the bill to provide a lasting solution for the problem in the North-East.
-Leadership