Saraki, Dogara Commends Buhari For Signing North East Development Commission Bill Into Law

Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki on Wednesday commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the North East Development Commission (NEDC) Bill into law.

Saraki described the assent as a big step in the administration’s plan to restore peace and normalcy in the war-ravaged region.

In a statement released by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the lawmaker said the new law would make the “harrowing experience of the people” a thing of the past.

He said:“I applaud President Buhari for signing the North East Development Commission Bill into law. Now, that the NEDC Act has the full force and effect of the law, it is my hope that we can collectively work towards the rehabilitation, reconstruction and rebuilding of the North East.

"I believe the NEDC Act will help alleviate the suffering of the millions of Nigerians whose lives have been affected by the insurgency in the zone.

"You will recall that when I visited Maiduguri, I promised that the National Assembly will work and pass laws to alleviate the suffering of the people. I thank God, Mr. President, my colleagues and members of the House of Representatives for making the promise a reality.”

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has also commended the President for signing the North East Development Commission Bill into law.

In a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, the Speaker said the assent to the bill shows the President’s sensitivity to the plight of the highly traumatised people of the North East.

"I expect that the expeditious coming into force of the commission will remedy the long years of underdevelopment suffered by the region. "The recovery and redevelopment of the zone devastated by terrorism is expected to last decades,” Dogara said.

It will be recalled that the North East Development Commission establishment Bill was sponsored by the Speaker in 2015.

He had also moved a motion which the House passed calling for the recovery, resettlement, and rebuilding of the violence-ravaged region and the convocation of an international donor conference for total reconstruction and rebuilding of the region.