Dr. Bamanga Tukur, the Chairman, National Council on African Peer Review Mechanism and the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, has said that making NEPAD a commission is long overdue as an enabling law would strengthen NEPAD Nigeria to achieve its laudable objectives.
Tukur therefore appealed for a speed passage of the NEPAD Commission Bill by the House of Representatives.
Tukur stated this at the Public Hearing for “a bill for an act to provide for the establishment of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Commission” by the House committee on Co-operation and Integration in Africa.
Tukur gave a brief history of NEPAD Nigeria at the hearing, stating that Nigeria is one of the initiating countries that saw the establishment of NEPAD in 2001 and its integration into the African Union processes and structures.
He further stated that if NEPAD has a commission’s status, the rest of Africa will benefit from the noble action.
The Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, at the hearing, maintained that a commission backed by law will enable NEPAD Nigeria to effectively achieve its objective of eradicating poverty while putting African countries on the path to sustainable development.
Tambuwal, who was represented by the Deputy Leader of the House, Hon. Leo Ogor, in his opening remarks stated that the status of NEPAD as a commission would enable NEPAD to deal with matters of inadequate manpower and funding.
He maintained further that the current civil service structure of NEPAD Nigeria does not give enough latitude to hire or retain staff or to access funds when necessary.
Tambuwal noted that some goals achieved by NEPAD such as facilitating the negotiations that led to the reduction of African debts and its application of peer pressure had improved governance across the continent.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman, House Committee on Cooperation and integration in Africa, Hon. Abubakar Momoh, stated that NEPAD Nigeria needs to have a stable structure manned with competent, skilled and dedicated staff as against the current arrangement where staff pooling is predominant in order to deliver on its core mandate, particularly the implementation of Nigeria’s peer review, which is expected to be carried out every four years as well as the implementation of its National Programme of Action.
Momoh maintained that if NEPAD Nigeria must overcome the challenges confronting it, a legal backing establishing its existence in form of a commission has to be enacted.
Other speakers at the Public Hearing highlighted the need to urgently make NEPAD a commission considering the challenges presently faced by NEPAD Nigeria.