The Igbo Community Association (ICA), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has expressed deep concern over what it described as the “worrisome silence and inactivity” surrounding the South East Development Commission (SEDC), more than six months after its establishment.
By Chimezie Godfrey
The Igbo Community Association (ICA), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has expressed deep concern over what it described as the “worrisome silence and inactivity” surrounding the South East Development Commission (SEDC), more than six months after its establishment.
In a statement jointly signed by the President General of the association, Engr. Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, and the Secretary General, Mazi Emmanuel Chinwoke Onah, the group questioned whether the SEDC was “a genuine developmental initiative or merely a political gimmick designed to settle a few individuals.”
According to the association, the optimism that greeted the signing of the SEDC Bill into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has since given way to disappointment and uncertainty.
“Early this year, accolades were showered on the Deputy Senate President, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, for his dogged efforts in ensuring that the South East Development Commission Bill became a reality. The President wasted no time in assenting to the Bill after its passage by the National Assembly,” the statement recalled.
The group noted that the Igbo people, alongside other affected communities, had hailed the move as a landmark step toward addressing the infrastructural deficit and economic challenges of the South East region.
“However, over six months since the Commission came into being, there is no visible activity, no project initiated, and no sign that the SEDC has commenced work. This is disheartening for a people who had placed so much hope in the Commission,” the statement read.
The association lamented what it termed the “disturbing silence” of both the SEDC Managing Director, Mr. Mark Okoye, and the Deputy Senate President, Benjamin Kalu, on the Commission’s current status.
“If the issue is lack of funding, as some unofficial sources have hinted, why have these key figures remained silent? The people of the South East deserve to know what is going on,” the statement queried.
The ICA called on relevant authorities to clarify the current state of affairs and reaffirm their commitment to ensuring that the SEDC fulfills its intended mandate.
“The South East cannot afford another unproductive institution. The people demand transparency, accountability, and progress,” the statement concluded.