SEDC: Poised for Development – By Mike Ukoha

The South East Development Commission (SEDC) is finally taking off after 54 years of waiting. With its board set for inauguration and legislative oversight committees in place, hopes are high for a new era of development in the Southeast.

Firstly, permit me to say that all has been put in place for the South East Development Commission (SEDC), to flourish and achieve the purpose for which President Bola Tinubu established it. Recently, the 18-member board was successfully screened and approved by the senate, and its inauguration, we heard, is a few days away.

As clearly stated in the Act, the Commission (SEDC) has a Board Chairman – Chief Emeka Wogu, a former Minister of Labor/Productivity, Managing Director/CEO – Mark Okoye, five executive directors, five state representatives; and five Zonal representatives.

The day to day running and decision-making processes are vested in the carefully chosen board members of the  commission. And we say thanks to President Bola Tinubu for nominating men and women of integrity to pilot the affairs and set a solid foundation for its take off.

Also, thanks go to the Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu and his colleagues who sponsored the bill and lobbied for its passage and signing into law.

It is in the public domain that the National Assembly created two standing committees – House and Senate Committees. These committees have oversight functions to ensure that the commission is performing its functions as enacted in the Act. The oversight functions are periodical or whenever deemed necessary by the Committees.

It is common knowledge that in the National Assembly, the House Committee performs more than 60% of the oversight functions while the Senate committee does less than 40%. It is pertinent to state that NASS committees have no executive functions but must ensure that the commission is executing social, economic, and developmental programs as appropriated in the annual budget.

On Tuesday, October 2, 2024, the House of Representatives appointed the pioneer committee chairman of the recently created South East Development Commission (SEDC),  Hon. Chris Nkwonta, the member representing the good people of Ukwa East/West federal constituency, in the green chamber, has written his name in gold.

In the same vein, on February 3, 2025, the Senate replicated the gesture, by appointing Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North Senatorial District in the Red Chamber to Chair the Senate Committee on SEDC.

This is a welcome development, being that as a newly created commission major mandate is to tackle and help develop the Southeast region, their  committees in its oversight functions have a great responsibility to tackle.

Our people in the Southeast patiently waited for 54 years for the commission to be established. They expect the commission to actualize the reconstruction, reconciliation, and reintegration of the Southeastern. This is our golden opportunity to replan and develop the region.

It will be a monumental disservice to our people if the chairmen of committees in the National Assembly use their positions to unduly interfere in the operations and functions of the commission. However, their oversight functions are expected to be carried out without compromise.

Nigerians, especially Igbos, place high premium and great expectations from drivers of the commission. And on no account should the people’s trust and confidence be betrayed.

There is a need for the pioneer Chairman of the committee in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chris Nkwota and the Chairman of the committee in the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, to always do their oversight functions with synergy and high sense of responsibility, in order to achieve an accelerated development in the region. By doing so, personal interest, must be eschewed, while the mission, vision and provisions expected to help in moving the Southeast forward is genuinely pursued.

I therefore urge the SEDC Commission’s Board Chairman  ably led by Nwadiala Chief Emeka Wogu, to as a matter of urgency, mobilize his wonderful team to action in the quest to achieve the lofty desires of Ndigbo. And if we all wish to see a better Southeast of everyone’s dream, there is need to avoid bitterness, clanishness, gossip, and pull him down syndrome, which has been the barn in our society today. All hands must be on deck.

Ukoha is fomer Minority Whip Abia State House of Assembly.