The bill to amend the Act of the Niger-Delta Development Commission, NDDC to enable the inclusion of Anambra among the list of oil producing states, has scaled first reading at the Senate.
The bill sponsored by the member representing Anambra North Senatorial Zone in the National Assembly, Senator Tony Nwoye, is aimed at amending Section 2(1)(b) of the NDDC Establishment ACT CAP N 86 LFN 2004 which would enable the commission to enlist the South-Eastern State among its list of oil producing states.
Two years ago the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) granted its approval for Anambra to join the list of oil producing states.
According to RMAFC, 11 oil wells have been attributed to the state and as such, Anambra will henceforth, be eligible to benefit from the 13 per cent derivation fund, which minerals-producing states in Nigeria are statutorily entitled to.
However, despite this, the NDDC is yet to accord the state such status and Anambra State is yet to start benefiting from those privileges accruable from the NDDC.
At the last plenary of the Senate Presided by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Nwoye’s Bill was introduced by the Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and passed first reading, after its short title was read by the Senate clerk Senate clerk, Barrister Chinedu Akubueze.
An insight into the bill reveals that 2 Section 2(1)(b) of the Principal Act is amended by; (a) inserting the following as new subparagraph (iii) which reads: Amendment of section2 “(iii) Anambra State” and (b) renumbering the existing subparagraph (iii) – (ix) as Amendment of Section 2 subparagraph (iv) – (x).
Subsequently Amendment of Section 4 is repealed by (a) inserting the following as new paragraph ( c ): “(c) Anambra State”; and (b) renumbering the existing paragraphs (c) -(i) as paragraph (d)-(j).
Followed by the amendment of section 30 of the Commission’s Principal Act by word” Anambra” immediately after the word “Akwa-Ibom”.
Currently the 2000 Act establishing the NDDC recognises nine states as oil producing and they are; Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Imo, Abia, Cross River and Akwa Ibom.
It will be recalled that Dr Tony Nwoye while in the House of Representatives sponsored a Bill on the Need to declare Anambra, Kogi, Enugu and Anambra States as Oil Producing States.
After the Bill was passed by the 8th House of Representatives and concurred by the 8th Senate, Anambra was declared as Oil Producing State, later Kogi State.
