Senate rejects bill to include Anambra state as member of NDDC
Nigeria’s Senate on Wednesday opposed a bill proposed to include Anambra State in the membership of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The development, however, led to a verbal clash between Tony Nwoye, the Labour Party member representing Anambra North Senatorial District who sponsored the bill, and the All Progressives Congress Senator from Kogi East, Jibrin Isah, over the status of Kogi as an oil producing state.
Nwoye, had in his lead debate on the bill, sought amendment of the NDDC Act for the inclusion of Anambra State, being an oil producing state.
He argued that Anambra State deserved membership of NDDC since it had been collecting 13% derivation since 2021 on account of an appreciable volume of oil production on yearly basis.
His argument did not go down well with most of his colleagues, who believed that benefitting from the 13 percent derivation should not qualify a state to be in the Niger Delta region.
They noted that states like Kogi and Lagos States were not covered by the NDDC operations despite being oil producing states.
Nwoye, in an attempt to sell his bill to his colleagues, drew the anger of Isah, when he said Kogi was not receiving the 13 percent derivation.
Isah pleaded with Nwoye against dragging Kogi to his bill and noted that the NDDC was more of a regional or geographical intervention body and not just for oil producing states .
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the plenary, summoned his deputy, Jibrin Barau and the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele for a discussion over the matter.
After the discussion which lasted about 15 minutes, Akpabio addressed the senators on the issue.
He said if the argument of Nwoye on the proposed membership of Anambra State in NDDC, was to be accepted by the Senate, then, Lagos State, which has two oil wells in Badagry, would also clamour for membership of the commission.
Akpabio, however, faulted Nwoye’s argument and insisted that the NDDC remained a geographical or regional interventionist body.
