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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Prominent Igbo leader, Chief Chekwas Okorie, has criticised the Senate committee overseeing the South East Development Commission (SEDC), accusing it of acting in a haste and unfairly attacking the management of the commission barely months after it began receiving funding.
Okorie, who spoke with journalists in Enugu yesterday, said the committee’s recent public scrutiny of the commission amounted more to an inquisition and coercion than proper oversight.
He recalled that when President Tinubu inaugurated the commission in February 2025, he publicly commended the move, describing it as the first meaningful federal effort since the civil war to address reconstruction and development challenges facing the South East.
According to him, he was impressed by the calibre of those appointed to lead the commission and its early efforts to engage governors across the region, as well as the presentation of its development blueprint by the Managing Director, Mark Okoye, which received presidential approval.
However, Okorie said concerns began to grow when months passed without any visible activity from the commission.
“Upon inquiry after several months, I was reliably informed that nearly one year after inauguration, no funds had been allocated to it from the Federation Account. Doubts and rumours began to circulate. I began to imagine that I might have celebrated too early,” he said.
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He noted that hopes were later revived after funds began reaching the commission and operational activities commenced.
The former presidential candidate, however, expressed shock over the recent Senate Committee’s allegations accusing the commission of renting a one-room office apartment in Abuja for N153 million.
“I watched this show thoroughly, bewildered and alarmed. I promptly made some calls and found that the so-called one-room office space was indeed a furnished and equipped office complex in Maitama, Abuja,” he stated.
Okorie also defended consultancy contracts awarded by the commission, saying technical studies were necessary if the agency hopes to attract investors and development funding.
While backing accountability in public spending, he insisted that the Senate acted prematurely.
“I believe that the Senate Committee acted in a haste. The action of the Committee is more of an inquisition and coercion than oversight,” he declared, urging the committee to exercise greater diligence in future engagements with the commission.
