The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), a socio-cultural organization representing the 19 northern states, has commended President Bola Tinubu for signing the NorthWest Development Commission (NWDC) Bill into law.
Persecondnews reported that Tinubu had on Tuesday signed into law a bill sponsored by Deputy Senate President Sen. Barau Jibrin, designed to boost development in the North West region, covering Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara States.
The commission is set up to facilitate the reconstruction of roads, houses, and business premises destroyed by multidimensional crises and tackle poverty, literacy levels, ecological problems, and any other related environmental or development challenges in North-West states.
Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba, its National Publicity Secretary, released a statement expressing ACF’s belief that the NWDC’s creation will aid in addressing the various challenges afflicting the region.
The statement reads: “ACF extends warm appreciation and gratitude to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for signing the bill into law.
“The Deputy President of the 10th Senate, Sen. Barau Jibrin—the sponsor of the bill and all who contributed to enacting the law also deserve our gratitude.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the seven states comprising this region, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara, have been developmentally challenged.
“With an estimated total population of 49 million (or 28% of Nigeria’s total), 45.5 million (93%) remain in a state of multidimensional poverty, with an intensity ratio of 42.7%, as of 2022, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Thus, the Northwest remains at the bottom of all of Nigeria’s developmental indices and living conditions.
“The region that continues to be devastated by insecurity, banditry, and associated challenges, and indeed forming the ground zero of insecurity and terrorism, remains to be said that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the new law will utilise the resources allocated to the Commission to make a visible impact on the lives of the people.
“All hands must be on deck to see to it that the teeming and largely agrarian people of this area will have the dark clouds of underdevelopment removed from their environment in its totality.
“Once again, thanks, Mr. President, and all who ensured this law sees the light of day. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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