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Since the last public and official encounter between the Senate Committee on Southeast Development Commission (SEDC), under the distinguished Chairmanship of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and SEDC’s team, led by Mark Okoye, a 39 year old young man,
who currently heads the SEDC Boatd, so much have come to the open regarding what may already have gone wrong again with the much desired development of the Southeast zone or what may soon go wrong except more critical attention is immediately paid by all the stakeholders to ensure the right things are done at the right time.
Truth be told, since after the brutal devastation of Nigeria’s Southeast zone, under the cover of the civil war, no one, not even worst haters of Ndigbo, have denied, at least in public, the urgent need to rehabilitate and develop the zone.
Unfortunately, the acknowledgment of this need notwithstanding, Southeast zone has continued to suffer so much neglect in terms of tangible development by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Some analysts have joined some public officials who always allege that the so-called Igbo leaders have not helped matters to ensure proper development of the zone.
Some of them even alleged that greedy Igbo contractors do collaborate with some unscrupulous Igbo political leaders to collect funds meant for provisions of major infrastructure for the zone, hijacking the juicy contracts allegedly given for the zone only to share the loot amongst themselves, leaving the alleged signature projects undone.
I may be unable to provide here the affected signature projects allegedly approved for construction in the Southeast zone over these years, whose funds, actually released, were allegedly shared by the said contractors and leaders and eventually abandoned.
Be that as it may, I can however state here that government neglect in the geo-political zone has been so much that even some minor infrastructure that should be provided primarily by the government for the people are sometimes deliberately withheld or conveniently forgotten.
Some of such critical infrastructure are eventually provided for the communities in the geo-political zone either by their rich sons and daughters or through compulsory contributions imposed on adult members either by town unions or age grades.
The result has been little federal presence even within seemingly developed Igbo cities and ‘villages.’
This did not begin with the Government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. No! It predated this three years old government, though it is being argued today, by some Tinubu’s critics that during his tenure, he has also denied pleas from the region for some tangible infrastructure which have been provided for other regions and which would have truly made the difference – tangible infrastructure like a Sea Port, a functional International Airport, a rail line that will effectively link the Southeast to South-south and then to the Northern parts of Nigeria and to the Southwest.
The critics of government recall the good old days, even up to the 1970s, when trains, powered by the ‘fire’ from deep black Coal from Enugu, proudly and safely transported passengers and goods from Port Harcourt to Aba, and from Aba, through Uzuakoli to Enugu, Markurdi, Jos, and other northern cities and back to Port Harcourt.
It is a bitter testimony of Nigerian deterioration that this long steel (rail line), constructed by the Colonial Government, which effectively linked the South-South and Southeast with the North -Central and Northeast, has actually been left to rot away even when similar infrastructure in the Southwest and in the Northwest have been revived and modernised.
Through every government in Nigeria, the people from the Southeast in particular have dreamed and wished that the zone would be truly revived. It has, for long remained a mere dream.
But when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu finally signed into law the bill that sought to set up the Southeast Development Commission (SEDC), many Southeasterners heaved a sigh of relief, believing that with this Commission, the people can more realistically attempt to build a more practical infrastructure for an enduring development of the zone.
It is in the light of this high expectation that Ndigbo feel really hurt by the kind of reports filtering out, concerning alleged extravagance or mismanagement at SEDC.
As I contemplate the extent of damage that reality will do to Ndigbo today, that is, if the Mark Okoye-led leadership see the SEDC as a jamboree or an opportunity for self enrichment, I shudder.
At the heat of the conversation, I read an educating piece by an author identified as Charles Ogbu, entitled:
“SWDC And SEDC: A Tale Of Two Development Commissions.”
Comparing the two development commissions, Ogbu wrote: “The Southwest Development Commission (SWDC) bill was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in March 2025 while the board was inaugurated in September 2025, marking full operational start.
In other words, SWDC has been operational for just 9 months.
But within that short period of time and without much noise or conference after conference, the leadership of the commission has secured a provisional Rail Operating and Track Access Licence from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to revive dormant rail corridors and build modern networks that will link all six Yoruba States of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti through a 44-city rail grid to boost trade, agriculture, industry and mobility.
“This is a Development Commission that has existed for less than 9 full months oooo.
“But in the same country, a similar commission known as the Southeast Development Commission (SEDC) bill was signed in July 2024 (nearly 2 years ago) and the Board inaugurated on 12 February 2025 (a year and 4 months now) but the only achievements the 39 year old young man – Mark Okoye II – heading it can point to is how he spent a staggering 2.4 BILLION on office expenses and another whopping 1.6 BILLION on vehicles for an agency that does not yet have an office in any part of the region for which it was established.
“Would the 2.4 BILLION not have given him a befitting office in Enugu? (For the record, the above figures are from the budget breakdown presented by Mark Okoye himself as funds ALREADY SPENT.
“And this is a region in dire need of infrastructural and developmental projects, a region which has since been crying of marginalization and a near absolute nothingness in terms of federal presence.”
Mr Ogbu added that for the SEDC, “an initial allocation of 5 BILLION has since been released followed by another 16.6 BILLION released last December.”
He also complained that “all that Ndigbo have seen from Mark Okoye and his group are Seminars, Conferences, Workshops and cho cho cho.”
Like Mr Ogbu, many Igbo intellectuals who believe so much can be achieved through the commission, are, to say the least, angered by the negative reports and by the slow pace the commission has chosen.
If what Mr Ogbu wrote about the SWDC and SEDC are true, then it is necessary for Ndigbo to wake up and closely monitor Okoye and his board.
Even if the figures bandied around over funds already released to SEDC and its spendings so far are not totally correct, one cannot fail to note it’s snail speed.
Ndigbo, especially the Southeast zone, cannot afford such snail speed today.
The people have lamented for so long over marginalisation that they cannot clap for anyone that wants to waste billions of naira and spending over a year just to organise seminars and conferences.
If for nothing else, reports Nigerians have heard so far about this SEDC suggest a clear case of a body probably led by a team that did not prepare for such a crucial role.
If they were prepared for the job, what Mr Ogbu said of the SWDC is the type of initiative many critical observers would rather have expected from SEDC.
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Yes, because, Southeast, more than any other region, has alleged marginalisation and has argued that if given opportunity, it’s people would develop it’s region with amazing speed.
Of course, if within President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tenure, perhaps through the SEDC, a cycle-like functioning regional rail system links the entire Southeast zone – from Enugu to Awka to Onitsha to Owerri and then to Aba, through Umuahia to Abakaliki and then back to Enugu, the positive effect on the region’s trade would be better imagined. The ripple effect would be so much that it would be more difficult for an average Igbo man or woman to still allege marginalisation under this government.
This is why the Tinubu-led Federal Government of Nigeria, which set up the commission and which allegedly released the billions of naira for the development of ala Igbo, must monitor the utilization of the said resources.
This is because reports of approval of and release of billions of naira no longer impress average Nigerians. If anything, it angers the people the more when they think that the huge allocation would simple be shared by a few privileged individuals.
They react this way because average citizens may not have what it takes to expose and to check super public officials’ utilisation of public allocations.
As a result, all the people would do may be to wait until they see real infrastructure constructed and functional. It is only then that they will agree the government truly remembered the people.
A government that neglects this truth should not blame the people when they say it has not done anything for the people.
For if, truly, humongous fundings are being released by the government for development and nothing tangible is being done, the common people should not be blamed if they continue to believe they are hated and callously marginalized.
It is the government that should be blamed for allowing it’s officials to portray it in very bad light.
It is in this light that one openly appreciates the way Senator Orji Uzor Kalu-led SEDC Senate Committee openly interacted with the Board of SEDC.
The observed sense of patriotism with which Senators Orji Uzor Kalu, Tony Okechukwu Nwoye, Enyinnaya Abaribe, and other distinguished members of the Senate Committee on SEDC carried out their last observed oversight duty has come to rekindle hope in the average Igbo man that partisan differences notwithstanding, all hopes may not have been lost for Ndigbo.
I therefore salute their diligence and insistence on full disclosure for these suggest powerfully that it may not be true after all that the political and social leaders of the Southeast are in a secret grand alliance to continue to stall the zone’s development.
Let me be clear, millions of Ndigbo, especially the youths, may have personally lost hope in the leadership of Ndigbo, especially in their relationship with the centre so far. So, it is only this kind of display of interest and care that can change the impression for good.
As for Mark Okoye and the entire leadership of the South East Development Commission, SEDC, may I infoem them they have a rare opportunity of making positive history in ala Igbo and Nigetia.
Ndigbo, especially Ndigbo within the Southeast zone, are in dire need of signature infrastructure that will ignite and help sustain the huge potential locked up in the zone and in it’s people.
As the heads of SEDC with tangible Federal Government regular allocations, no one will pardon them if they fail to utilize the resources appropriately and to save the zone and her people by leaving tangible infrastructure.
If however you at the commission lack ideas of how to wake the sleeping giant that is the Southeast, you may at least copy the SWDC and begin with a zonal train scheme.
Working in collaboration with the state governments within the zone, this will not be an impossible task to accomplish.
*AND RETIRED MAJOR GENERAL RABE ABUBAKAR DIED IN THE BUSH, OF ….*
These are difficult times in Nigeria.
Except someone deliberately conditions his or her heart never to collapse, no matter what, it may be a dangerous exercise to continue to read or listen to reports about abductions and killings in Nigeria.
Last week was particularly harrowing – the number of abductions, the killings and fearful reports of how the bandits are spreading across the country. Everybody, even the military seem helpless?
What exactly is happening to the once giant of Africa?
As a citizen, may I use this medium to tell our leaders that if they ever want to remain relevant, they must rise up, do something real and change this horrifying narrative.
While I am currently unable to coherently comment on the level of insecurity in Nigeria today, I cannot help wondering why the press release Katsina State Government used to announce his passing considered it necessary to inform Nigerians therein that Retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, who was abducted alongside his wife and kept in detention in the bush until he gave up the ghost, actually “died of natural causes.” Really!
The press statement dated 13th day of June 2026 and signed by Dr. Nasiru Mua’azu, the Hon. Commissioner of Internal Security & Home Affairs of Katsina State, reads in part:
“The Katsina State Government, with a heavy heart and deep sense of loss, wishes to inform the general public of the tragic passing of Retired Major General Rabe Abubakar.
“It is with profound sadness that we confirm the General’s death while in bandits captivity.
“Despite the relentless and concerted efforts of the State Government and various Security Agencies to secure his safe release, the situation ended in this tragedy.
“The deceased Retired General died a natural death from complications of diabetes and hypertension.”
This revelation about the strange causes of death of the abducted and incarcerated Army General or whatever that details were supposed to do, have ever since their publication remained a puzzle, a riddle I am yet to come to terms with for all I can see within this riddle is the need for Nigerian governments and the security agencies to review their brand of diplomacy in the fight against terror.
They should do this urgently by discovering and admitting their weaknesses and failures so far. Change of tactics, I believe, may always become necessary when situations demand it.
Those who want to lead us must bear in mind that as citizens, Nigetiana are bleeding and weeping!
But must our leaders always make excuses for people that are killing us, killing our nation and our humanity? Must they?
• Samuel Hezekiah Egburonu Esq, lawyer, veteran journalist and literary scholar, is a current affairs analyst.
