Hope rises in Igboland as South East Development Commission becomes reality

…Critics say ‘taste of pudding is in the eating’

…Allege FG lacks interest in South East development

…Commission must not be ‘food for the boys’

The popular saying, ‘better late than never’, seems to apply in the recent creation of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), which many people from the zone think is long overdue.

The commendations and excitement across the zone on the development speak volumes of how the people desperately need such a developmental platform to further boost their industrious nature and consolidate on their age-long commercial and industrialisation feats.

The commission is coming over 20 years after the creation of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on June 2, 2000, and the North East Development Commission (NEDC), in 2017, despite the South-East zone being abandoned since the end of the Nigerian Civil War, over 50 years today.

The underdevelopment of the zone, which is very obvious with bad roads, poor infrastructural development, is further compounded by less presence of the Federal Government, its institutions and poor policing.

The above challenges were top among the reasons many people from the zone are still jubilating for the creation of the SEDC, noting that it would engender the needed economic growth and development in the long-abandoned zone.

In his excitement over the development, Goodluck Ibem, president general, Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), described the creation of SEDC, as one of the best things President Bola Tinubu has done for the zone, saying that it will revive the economy and curtail insecurity in the South-East.

“I see the SEDC turning the South-East zone into a construction site soon. When this happens, the idle youth would be engaged and not available for petty crimes,” Ibem said.

He insisted that SEDC is not a flash in the pan, and also not a political pronouncement.

“The commission is out to work, considering the calibre of people in the helm of affairs. It is a serious agency of the government that is meant to develop the region.”

Kingsley Emordi, a freight forwarder and member of Shippers Council of Nigeria, is also excited that the commission would now undertake certain developmental projects, which all the state governments have been dodging till date, despite their huge federal allocations.

“Now, projects such as the dredging of the River Niger, from Onitsha to Niger Delta, will be realisable. They can build a new capital or town for the Igbos to come home, that will rival Abuja and Lagos. We can now think of an international airport that will beat the rest in Africa. These are why I am excited because they are achievable if the commission is focused and has the needed funds,” Emordi enthused.

Read also: 53 years after war, Reps pass South East Development Commission Bill

Ugo Obiekwe, an economist, thinks that the SEDC is a welcome development because the gains will outweigh whatever negative impact anyone will imagine.

“I know that politicians are the ones that created the commission and also the ones that appointed the leadership of SEDC. That is all we need as a zone. The next is to support the leadership to work because our fate is in our hands now. I think, we, as a people, can raise funds to support projects of the commission because it is for our benefit,” the economist said.

But Emeka Ezeokoye, a politician, said that the creation of the SEDC is a balance in the national development equation because other zones have their own development commission.

“Yes, we are happy now. Other zones have their commissions, South-East should have its own too. From here, we need to get other benefits that have been denied the zone since the civil war, especially presidency,” Ezeokoye, an APGA chieftain, said.

Meanwhile, governors of the South-East zone have begun to set agender for the commission.

Alex Otti, governor of Abia State, charged the members of the board and management of SEDC, to pay attention to power, as key to the economic development of the region.

Governor Otti, while hosting a delegation of the board, said that investment in power is what the government should do.

“These are the kind of investments that the government should make to stabilise the economy. If the government does not stabilise the economy, they cannot deal with unemployment and they cannot deal with the poverty that is ravaging now.

“You are the regional development body speaking for all of us. An area that is so critical to us, a major area to pay attention is power; electricity.

“If you are talking about industrialisation, within small and medium scale enterprises, a major input into virtually every effort people make in industrialization and manufacturing is power.

“So, if you solve that problem, you would have probably solved 60 percent of their problem,” Governor Otti stated.

He revealed that as part of his commitment to support SMEs for the industrialization of the state, his government assisted Geometric Powe Aba to come on stream, adding that discussions are on with Interstate Electrics Limited for Abia State Government to take over their equity in EEDC to enable the government to facilitate the provision of power to the rest of the state not covered by Geometric.

He said that Geometric has the capacity to generate about 188 megawatts of which 100 megawatts will be enough to power the Aba Ring Fence, while the rest can be wheeled to the Umuahia Ring-Fence, an ongoing discussion between Geometric Power Limited and the Abia State government.

The governor noted that the commission was long-overdue, because when things like the civil war happens, a country needs to be deliberate in rebuilding the affected parts and reintegrating her into the scheme of things in the federation but said that the South Easterners have reintegrated themselves through hard work.

“Our people have worked so hard to reintegrate themselves. That is why when you come to Abia State and any other state in South East, our economy is an economy that does not have room for palliatives; all that our people want is that you create an enabling environment and they will sort themselves out.

“We are lucky that people from this side are people who would want to do something. So, when you build road, clean the environment, provide enabling environment for their businesses to thrive, provide good hospitals, they can sort themselves out,” he said.

Governor Otti commended President Tinubu for approving the setting up of the commission, appointing and inaugurating the members. He also appreciated the National Assembly for giving the South East Development Commission Bill a speedy passage, saying that the commission would among other things provide an enabling environment and support businesses to thrive.

He expressed the commitment and readiness of his administration to collaborate with the commission for the development of the state and entire region.

Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, urged the SEDC, to prioritise projects that will bring rapid development to the region.

Nwifuru described the establishment of the commission by the Federal Government, as a realisation of the dreams of the leaders and people of the region, and urged the members not to engage in frivolities, but work to justify the confidence the people reposed in them.

“Don’t engage in frivolities, development of the South-East is in your hands, don’t look at the governors, because we have our individual and state interests. Look beyond where you are coming from and try to leave legacies that will speak volumes of who you are,” he said.

The governor further expressed confidence on the caliber of people appointed, as members of the Commission and applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the establishment of the commission.

He called on the governors from the zone to create enabling environment and work closely with the commission to foster development.

On his part, Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, called on the SEDC, to streamline its focus, by adopting a single-point agenda for development, ensuring efficient execution and measurable impact.

The governor emphasized the need for a well-defined approach to regional development, cautioning against spreading resources too thinly across multiple projects without achieving tangible results.

“We should not waste this opportunity of having this commission. Adopt a one-point agenda, such as a South-East rail network to connect all the state capitals, deliver it, and then move to the second-point agenda,” Soludo advised.

He warned against initiating numerous projects simultaneously, which could lead to delays and eventual abandonment, diluting the commission’s impact.

“If you open a floodgate that you want to achieve over 50 important matters, where you sprinkle on all the matters and in five years, some projects will be abandoned; and you will ask yourself, what did you achieve?

“So, let us write that report card today and say, five years coming we are able to tell the people of south east that we unlocked this (not two) opportunity and this is the impact,” he added.

Beyond setting a clear development agenda, Soludo urged the commission to collaborate closely with the governors of the South-East states.

He stressed that a unified regional approach, would accelerate progress and ensure that developmental projects align with the broader economic interests of the region.

Not yet uhuru

But critics are insisting that it is not uhuru yet for the South-East zone, as the success of the SEDC depends largely on funding, no interference by politicians, appointment of competent hands and focus on projects, one after the other, to avoid abandoned projects of the past administrations

“Don’t forget that the zone has been crying foul over the neglect by the Federal Government since after the civil war. Again, the SEDC is coming after the creation of the North East Development Commission. Is it just to balance the equation and shut up mouths?

“It is time to task the Federal Government more, because it has intentionally abandoned the zone over five decades now,” Otumchere Egwu, an Enugu-based lawyer, said.

Also toeing the same path, Onyewuchi Akagbule, a senior university lecturer, is worried about the leadership of the commission, expressing fears that the Commission could be hijacked by politicians and their cronies for their own narrow interest.

Reviewing the NDDC since its creation in 2000, Chijioke Umelahi, an Abuja-based lawyer, noted that the developmental strides are not matching the huge funds expended so far for the development of the region, hence SEDC should learn from such mistakes.

“The Niger Delta region is still very much underdeveloped despite having the Ministry of Niger Delta, that was recently scrapped by the president, they have the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), they also collect more allocations from the crude oil derivation account and huge internally generated revenue. It is not about creating a commission, but setting agenda, strict monitoring, less interference by the government and political elites, reviewing of projects and putting in place the right people to execute the mandate of the commission.

“The SEDC can only succeed if the above are ensured. They should listen to Governor Soludo’s advice and remove politicians with questionable characters from their leadership if they want the anticipated results for the zone,” Umelahi said.

For most South-East people, the SEDC should go for huge projects such as rail network connecting the zone, dredging of River Niger and others in Ukwa, Abia State, partnering Geometric Power to extend its stable electricity to the whole zone, establishment of an international airport and ultimately building new cities, especially a capital city for the Igbo nation.

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