By Festus Ahon, ASABA

THE Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, law bill, which has generated serious controversy in the state, has been passed by the State House of Assembly.

The passage of the bill followed its third reading which came after scrutinising the report of Hon Dennis Omovie led  ad hoc committee by the House committee chaired by the Speaker, Rt Hon Monday Igbuya.

At the resume consideration of the ad hoc committee’s report on the DESOPADEC Amendment law which was subjected to public hearing, part of the bill was amended.

The commission under the amended bill will no longer have Executive secretary but a  Managing Director with four Executive Directors as against the three proposed in the bill by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

By the new bill, the Managing Director and the Executive Directors would be in charge of the day-to-day running of the commission.

Also, under this new bill, the commission now has a part time chairman and nine board members with a governing board consisting of the chairman, the four executive directors and nine representatives from the oil producing communities and two ex officio members from the ministries of Finance and Economic Planning.

Communities within five kilometers radius which are classified as impacted communities were also considered in the amended bill.

Meanwhile, the move by the member representing Ika South constituency in the House, Hon Festus Okoh to amend section 2 of the bill to include Ika ethnic nationality as an oil producing was rejected by the legislators.

The bill as amended has Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko and Ndokwa as ethnic nationalities to be recognized by the commission.

Observing that all processes of lawmaking were followed in passing the bill, the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Monday Igbuya thanked members for their commitment towards its passage.