Hon Aminu Tambuwal

Onwuka Nzeshi

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu  Tambuwal, has advocated  the establishment of a Northern Development Bank (NDB)  to directly fund critical projects in the Northern part of the country.

Tambuwal expressed support for the project  yesterday when he received a proposal for the second Northern Economic Summit (NES) from the chairman of the summit, Prof. Jerry Gana, in his office.

Gana disclosed that the European Development Bank and other development partners have been contacted on the need to assist in the establishment of the NDB.

He said the move to establish the bank would no doubt fill an existing gap in the funding of critical projects  in the region.

Tambuwal said bailing any region out of its myriad of problems invariably means rescuing the economy of the country.

According to him, the various states in the region need a comprehensive plan of action  to tackle issues of development confronting them.
On environmental challenges facing the country, Tambuwal said the floods experienced this year had served as a wake up call to all those who take environmental issues with laxity.

He said the House through its Committees on Environment and Climate Change, have taken proactive measures to put in place policies that would mitigate effects of environmental hazards in the nation.

The Speaker said even though budgetary provisions for the environment sector have not met the expectations of many,  the legislature would always take the lead in efforts to preserve the environment for the future generation.