Attempts to include Kano and Plateau States as part of beneficiaries in the proposed North East Development Commission, NEDC, failed at the floor of the Senate on Tuesday.

The NEDC, when established will cater for the reconstruction of infrastructure as well as rehabilitation of victims of the Boko Haram insurgency which has ravaged the North East for many years.

During the third reading of the NEDC bill on October 20, the Senate had included Kano and Plateau states as beneficiaries of the proposed commission, arguing that both states have had their own share of attacks by the Boko Haram terrorists.

But this development did not go down well with many of the lawmakers who swore to challenge the decision as Plateau and Kano were not in the North East.

During plenary on Tuesday, as a report on the NEDC bill was being considered, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Kabiru Marafa and his works counterpart, Kabiru Gaya, maintained that Kano and Plateau states, having suffered more destruction by the Boko Haram than even some states in the North East, should be part of the NEDC.

Marafa called for the rejection of a report which recommended the removal of the two states from the proposed commission.

“We should throw away these recommendations because they are not in tandem with our resolutions. Out of the 14 members of the committee, only five signed the report because of the injustice,” he said.

However, Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, urged the Senate to adopt the report, insisting that in the original NEDC bill sponsored by Gaya, Kano was not included.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki then put the motion to vote and majority of the lawmakers voted that the report be accepted.

Ruling on the adoption of the report, Saraki said: “Let us move forward and come back to amend it. We will do it within the shortest period.”