Invoking Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders, 2023 (as amended), the Senate rescinded its earlier decision and moved to correct the inconsistencies.
By Ife Osemedua, Abuja
365Daily – The Senate has revised the establishment Acts of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), South West Development Commission (SWDC), North West Development Commission (NWDC), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Trust Fund to ensure they align with the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The amendments were adopted following a motion moved by Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, during plenary on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
Opeyemi said the National Assembly had previously passed the bills and sent them to the Clerk for onward transmission to the President for assent. However, upon further review, lawmakers identified clauses in the bills that conflicted with constitutional provisions, particularly in relation to funding mechanisms.
A major concern was that the funding clauses for the commissions and the NYSC Trust Fund contradicted Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution, which governs the allocation of federally collected revenue.
Sen. Bamidele cited Section 1(1) and (3) of the Constitution, which establishes its supremacy, stating that any law inconsistent with the Constitution is invalid. He ememphasised at the Senate must adhere to constitutional provisions to ensure legislative credibility and compliance.
He said “The Senate must not pass laws that contradict the Constitution, as doing so would render them null and void. Upholding constitutional integrity is a fundamental duty of the legislature.”
Invoking Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders, 2023 (as amended), the Senate rescinded its earlier decision and moved to correct the inconsistencies.
The specific clauses amended include: Clause 14 of the North West Development Commission (Establishment) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Clause 14 of the South West Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2025; Clause 15 of the South East Development Commission (Establishment) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and Clause 4(1) of the National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill, 2025.
The revisions were reviewed and approved in the Committee of the Whole.