Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Citizens stakeholders’ group, Anambra Civil Society Network (ACSONET), has expressed dissatisfaction over rejection of the Bill seeking to include Anambra as one of the member States of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Ikengaonline reports that Senate had thrown out a bill seeking to include Anambra State as one of the member States of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, saying that the State was not part of the Niger Delta region, which is the reason for the establishment of the interventionist body.
As sponsored by Senator Tony Nwoye, LP, Anambra North, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, explained that Anambra State is not part of the Niger Delta region.
According to Akpabio, the NDDC was created to address the environmental degradation in the region following the oil exploration activities in the zone, adding that although Anambra is now among the oil-producing states and is getting 13% derivation from the Federation, it cannot be added to the NDDC against the backdrop that it goes contrary to the purpose for which the agency was established.
He said, “For the Senate to permit that Anambra be added to the Commission, other oil-producing states will also have to be added to the Commission, and that itself will go against the purpose. Instead, they can create a wider development commission that will involve all regions for the oil-producing states to be captured rather than have multiple developmental commissions.”
At this point, the President of the Senate made a voice vote that the bill be withdrawn, and it was stepped down.
Reacting, the group described the action of the senate as hasty and a grave injustice to Anambra State.
Leader of the group, Prince Chris Azor, told Journalists in Awka that the decision may have been a calculated attempt to continue the perpetual marginalisation of the South-East, a situation he described as continuation of the civil war by other means.
“There’s no rationale for that decision, if not for primordial, sectional and oppressive interests. Pray, what makes Anambra different from other States in the Niger Delta? Anambra operates the same OML 143 with Delta State. This is the main reason the Green Chamber acted wisely by passing the Bill for second reading,” he said.
Azor expressed optimistimism that the Bill would eventually scale through as the Senate only withdrew it for further consultations.
He implored all Anambra and South-East Stakeholders in partnership with other well meaning patriots to collectively work towards passage of the Bill when it’s presented after wider consultations.
