The Senate on Monday directed the management of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) to operate from the region, insisting that the commission must be physically present in the area it was established to serve.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on SEDC, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North), issued the directive during an oversight visit to projects the commission is executing in Enugu State.
Kalu, however, expressed satisfaction with the progress on the commission’s headquarters in Enugu, describing the development as encouraging.
He said committee members had noticed improvements compared with earlier engagements with the commission, and urged management to sustain the momentum ahead of the committee’s next oversight visit in December.
“Well, so far, we are making very good progress, unlike when we started. I’m sure you and my colleagues are seeing very serious progress. I hope that the commission, especially the management team, sustains this progress,” he said.
Kalu said the committee was pleased that work was progressing on the facilities intended to accommodate the commission in the region.
He added that the lawmakers wanted the commission to extend its activities beyond its administrative offices and demonstrate its presence in communities across the South-East.
“We will be here in December to see the progress so far. We are happy that something is happening now. We also want them to go to the grassroots to show the South-Eastern people that they are on the ground,” he said.
The senator explained that the committee inspected two facilities during the visit: the commission’s current office and another building provided by the Enugu State Government, which is being completed for its use.
He said the development had addressed the committee’s earlier concerns about the commission operating from Abuja rather than the South-East.
“Where we were before and now, we are making progress. We used to quarrel about our office being in Abuja. Today, we have seen two offices: one where they are staying and one they are completing, which the Enugu State government gave them.
“So, we are very impressed. Once they are back home to do what they are sent to do, nobody has problems with them,” Kalu said.
added, “Our quarrel before was about being in Abuja rather than in Enugu. So that quarrel is over now.”
He urged the commission’s management to intensify efforts to ensure that its programmes and projects reach communities across the five South-East states.
Although he acknowledged that the commission was still relatively new, Kalu said it must demonstrate its commitment to the region’s development needs and deliver on the objectives for which it was established.
The committee is expected to return in December to assess further progress on the headquarters project and the commission’s operations.