The House of Representatives on Wednesday, May 31, failed to hold a second reading of a Bill seeking to address Biafra agitation with the establishment of Development Commission for the Southeast geo-polical zone. This was due to the failure of the sponsors of the Bill to present it for second reading.
The general principles of the bill, sponsored by Chukwuka Onyema (PDP, Anambra), Uzoma Nkem-Abonta (PDP, Abia) and Henry Nwawuba (PDP, Imo) was listed for debate Wednesday but had to be stepped down, The Nation reports.
When it was time for the bill to be debated and the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara noticed that the lead sponsor Onyema, who is also the Minority Leader was not on the floor, he asked the Chairman, Rules and Business Committee, Emmanuel Oker-Jev to step it down. At this point, voices were heard around the floor indicating that one of the sponsors, Nkem-Abonta was on ground.
The Speaker then asked Nkem-Abonta to take it. On his feet, the lawmaker stated that he could not present the bill because it was agreed between them that the Minority Leader will present it and take the lead debate.
The bill was eventually stepped down with the leave of the House.
According to the snippets of the lead debate, the bill that seeks to establish the South East Development Commission would be charged with the responsibility among other things to receive and manage fund from allocation of the Federation Account for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads, houses and other infrastructural damages suffered by the region as a result of the effect of the civil war as well as tackle the ecological problems and any other related environmental or developmental challenges in the Southeast states.
The objectives of the Bill with the establishment of the South East Development Commission is help to tackle the infrastructure deficit in the Southeast. In a similar vein, Senator Chris Ngige who is
