Senator Benson Sunday Agadaga says his amendment to the Border Communities Development Agency Act, 2006 is meant to correct long years of exclusion. He wants coastal and border towns that have been ignored to finally get basic development and federal attention.
The Senate has already passed the bill for second reading. Agadaga explained that it does two main things: it expands the list of recognized border communities, and it fixes administrative errors around the Bayelsa-Rivers boundary. The bill has been in the works since last year.
For Agadaga, this is personal. He called it a bill that is “very dear to me” because it speaks for communities overlooked for too long. He said he is grateful it has finally moved forward in the Senate. 
He made the case that border communities are Nigeria’s first impression. They are what visitors see when entering by land or water. That means they should have basic infrastructure and services like roads, water, and electricity.
Bayelsa’s geography strengthens his argument. The state has one of the longest coastlines in Nigeria and sits at the center of oil and gas production. Since the national economy depends heavily on resources from that region, Agadaga argues the communities there deserve the same federal interventions given to other border areas.
” Right now, over 3,000 communities are under the Border Communities Development Agency”, But many coastal settlements in Brass, Nembe, and Southern Ijaw LGAs are still excluded. The senator also flagged a mapping problem: some communities listed under Nembe LGA are actually in Rivers State. He wants them reassigned so Bayelsa’s real border towns can access their share.
While the bill is focused on development, Agadaga said the security benefits are clear. Better water, power, schools, healthcare, and jobs reduce desperation. When people can provide for their families, he noted, the pull toward kidnapping and other crimes drops. Development becomes a tool for stability.
Agadaga is optimistic the amendment will pass and get presidential assent. He is urging his colleagues to support it, framing it as a matter of fairness, inclusion, and national development. His core message: no deserving border community should be left behind.
