Abuja Igbo leaders slam SEDC for Inaction, demand accountability

By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh

The leadership of the Igbo Community Association (ICA), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, has expressed concern over what it described as the non-performance and snail-paced attitude of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC), calling on the Commission’s leadership to wake up to its responsibilities.

In a statement jointly signed by the ICA President-General, Engr. Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, and the Secretary-General, Mazi Emmanuel Chinwoke Onah, the association urged Igbo leaders and politicians to take a keener interest in the affairs of the SEDC in order to hold its leadership accountable and ensure effective performance.

The statement reads in part: “Earlier this year, accolades poured in for the Deputy Senate President, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, for his dogged effort in making the SEDC Bill a reality. The Bill was subsequently signed into law by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, shortly after it was passed by the legislature.

“The Igbo community, along with other affected regions, applauded the presidency for the initiative, believing that the regional development commissions would accelerate infrastructural development in an unprecedented manner.

“However, more than six months since its establishment, nothing tangible has been done. There are no visible signs of activity, projects, or meaningful engagement, which has become a source of disappointment and disillusionment for the people of the South-East who initially welcomed the SEDC with great optimism.

“For this reason, the Igbo community in Abuja is no longer certain about the true objectives behind the creation of the SEDC. Was it genuinely established to strengthen the infrastructural integrity of the region, or merely as a political settlement?

“Why has the Managing Director of the SEDC, Mr. Mark Okoye, remained silent on his inability to drive the Commission toward its goals? Why has the Deputy Senate President, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, been quiet on the matter?

“If the challenge is indeed funding, as some unofficial sources suggest, why have these principal figures failed to communicate openly with the people?

“The Igbo community demands answers.”