Last week Thursday, the Senate, passed for the second reading a bill that seeks to establish the South-South Development Commission (SSDC). The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC, Cross River South) and 17 other senators from the region including the President of the senate, Godswill Akpabio, was few months back rejected by most senators because of the claim that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is covering most of the functions of the proposed (SSDC).
It took the strong arguments canvassed by Senator Ekpenyong and Senator Henry Seriake Dickson (PDP Bayelsa West), during the debate on the bill to convince their colleagues across party lines and geopolitical zones to accept the idea before the bill was eventually passed for second reading.
The idea behind the South-South Development Commission is well thought-out. We commend the sponsors and also give kudos to Senator Dickson, whose deep intellectual insights and oratory prowess cemented the overwhelming acceptance.
Senator Dickson's explanation that the NDDC is not geopolitical but rather a resource-based commission strategically established to address crises in all oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta was germane. Besides that, the NDDC as an agency covers states like Ondo in the Southwest and Abia, Imo in the South-East, in addition to all the states in the South-South. This alone buttresses the fact that the NDDC is not a geopolitically-based interventionist agency.
Also, at a time when other geopolitical zones have had their way with their various development commissions on the floor of the senate, putting the South-South away from the trending and necessary political arrangement will throw up fresh agitations that may lead to chaos. It is a classic case of what is good for the goose being good for the gander.
The insistence by some people that the NDDC is serving a similar purpose is not in any way tenable. The NDDC is similar in nature to the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC), which is charged with the responsibility of managing the ecological issues of the operation of dams in affected states in the Northern part of the country.
It can also be argued that for a region that lays the golden egg, there is nothing wrong with having more institutions to continually fast-track its development. The SSDC will compliment the NDDC and other agencies, provide more job opportunities, and give the people more sense of belonging. It will also address, in particular, pertinent socio-economic challenges affecting the people.
Our concern and admonition will be that the SSDC should be well-structured to avoid it being hijacked by selfish and greedy politicians from the geopolitical zone. It should also avoid some of the pitfalls that have limited the NDDC from full the realization of its mandate.
To start with, when the SSDC eventually sees the light of day, it should have very competent technocrats to run it. It should not be used for political patronage. The Senate should ensure that the proposed commission should have its functions clearly spelt out in the enabling law. We don't want to see the commission overlapping and in conflict with the NDDC.
It is also our hope that having scaled the initial hurdle to the second reading, the bill will not be truncated. We urge the senate to be resolute and make the SSDC a reality. The 10th Senate, under Senator Godswill Akpabio, carry the moral burden of ensuring the SSDC is not aborted.
