Nigerian Senate Re-Introduces Bill To Develop South-East After Buhari Refused To Sign It

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday re-introduced a bill on the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) to quicken the advancement of the zone.

The bill sponsored by Senator Stella Oduah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Anambra North, was first passed in the eighth National Assembly presided over by Bukola Saraki, but failed the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The bill has now passed through the first reading of the ninth Senate with its section 15 (2a) suggesting that the equivalent of 10% of the total monthly statutory allocation due to the member states of the commission would come from the federation account.

Senator Stella Oduah, who sponsored the bill, is also seeks to establish a governing board for the commission.

KanyiDaily had reported that a bill titled, ‘National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches Bill 2019’ also passed its first reading in the upper legislative chamber.

The hate speech bill was first sponsored in the last assembly (2018), but the bill did not make it through to third reading.

The bill prescribed death by hanging for any person found guilty of any form of hate speech that results in the death of another person.