The Chairman of the Governing Board of the South-South Development Commission (SSDC), Rt. Hon. Prince Chibudom Nwuche, OFR, on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, attended the public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on the South-South Development Commission on the Bill to amend the South-South Development Commission (Establishment) Act, 2025.
The public hearing, held at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, was convened by the House Committee on the South-South Development Commission, chaired by Hon. Julius Gbabojor Pondi, PhD.
The proposed amendment Bill (HB. 2674), sponsored by Hon. Julius Gbabojor Pondi and 27 other lawmakers, aims to strengthen the Commission’s funding framework by broadening its statutory revenue sources. Among the proposed funding streams are contributions from extractive industries, agricultural processing companies, allocations from the Ecological Fund, and a share of Value Added Tax (VAT) proceeds. The amendment seeks to enhance the Commission’s capacity to address developmental, environmental, ecological, and infrastructural challenges facing the South-South region, while harmonising its funding structure with those of other regional development commissions established by the Federal Government.
Other dignitaries at the hearing included the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Rt. Hon. Heineken Lokpobiri; the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the SSDC, Ms Nsoro Akpabio; representatives of the Federal Ministry of Regional Development; representatives of the Governments of Bayelsa and Delta States; and other stakeholders from across the South-South region.
Declaring the public hearing open, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, PhD, described public hearings as practical expressions of participatory democracy, accountability, and inclusive governance. He reaffirmed the House’s commitment to enacting legislation that responds to the aspirations and developmental needs of Nigerians.
In his presentation, Rt. Hon. Chibudom Nwuche commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives, members of the House Committee on the South-South Development Commission, and sponsors of the amendment Bill for their foresight in initiating what he described as a timely and necessary review of the Commission’s funding framework.
He observed that the proposed amendments appropriately respond to the realities of development financing and would place the South-South Development Commission on an equitable footing with other regional development commissions across the country.
The SSDC Chairman noted that the statutory funding provisions, including the 3% contribution from oil and gas-producing companies, contributions from agricultural processing and mineral mining companies, as well as the allocation of 50%©️ of Ecological Fund resources due to member states, already exist in the funding frameworks of comparable regional development commissions, particularly the South East Development Commission. He questioned why the South-South Development Commission should operate under comparatively limited funding provisions despite the region’s enormous environmental and developmental challenges.
Rt. Hon. Nwuche assured participants that, under his leadership, the Governing Board would remain firmly committed to ensuring that the Commission operates strictly within the provisions of its enabling law and established due process. He pledged that transparency, accountability, integrity, and prudent management of public resources would remain the guiding principles of the Commission, emphasising that its resources would be dedicated to the sustainable development of the South-South region rather than personal enrichment or what he described as “lifestyle enhancement.”
The former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives further stated that the South-South Development Commission (Establishment) Act provides a comprehensive legal framework capable of guiding the Commission towards achieving the developmental vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the region.
He also urged the House Committees overseeing the various regional development commissions to continue exercising diligent constitutional oversight to ensure that the Boards and Management of the commissions remain faithful to their statutory mandates, uphold the highest standards of governance, and deliver meaningful development to the people they were established to serve.
