By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Senate yesterday amended the bills establishing the regional development commissions and the National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund to include provisions for their funding in the nation’s Constitution.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the plenary, said the action became necessary to avoid any breach of the Constitution.
He said the Senate observed that the funding clauses for the commissions and the proposed fund to be established as provided in the bills contradicted section 162 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The red chamber, therefore, approved an amendment to clauses 14 and 15 of the acts establishing the North-West, South-West, and South-East Development Commissions.
Also amended is clause 4 (1) of the 2025 National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund Establishment Bill.
The amendments followed the presentation of a motion “titled “Re-commital of Bills to the Committee of the Whole” by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti).
Bamidela, in his motion, recalled that the Senate and House of Representatives earlier passed the North-West, South-West, and South-East Development Commissions and the National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund establishment Bills 2025.
He said the bills had been forwarded to the Clerk of the National Assembly for onward transmission to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
He, however, said, “The Senate observed that the funding clauses for the commissions and the proposed fund to be established as provided in the bills appeared to contradict section 162 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“Section 1, subsections (1 ) and 3 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, provides that the Constitution is supreme and any law that contradicts the Constitution shall be null and void to the extent of the contradiction.
“Mindful that Senate should not work in vain and should be seen to be observing the Constitution like any other authority and persons in Nigeria, relied on orders 1(b) and 52(6) of its standing order 2023 as amended to rescind its decisions on the affected clauses of the development commissions’ bills, NYSC Trust Fund Bill.
“This, resulted in the re-committal of the bills to Committee of the Whole for reconsideration and passage.”
He listed the affected clauses, including Clause 14 of the 2025 North West and South West Development Commissions Establishment Bills.
He also said it affected clause 15 of the South East Development Commission Establishment Bill and clause 4 (1) of the National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund Establishment Bill 2025.
After the bills were passed, the President of the Senate said all the Regional Development Commission bills were in tandem with the Nigerian Constitution.
He specifically said that Section 162, which states that all funds accruing to the Federation shall be paid into the Federation’s consolidated revenue fund, had been taken care of by the amendments.
He said that the amendments in the bills would be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Akpabio commended the establishment committee and his colleagues for working on the bills expeditiously, describing their contributions, patience, and patriotic zeal as a dedication to the nation’s service.
