The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has commended the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission (SEDC), led by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, for what it described as a courageous, diligent and constitutionally mandated exercise of legislative oversight in probing the financial activities of the South East Development Commission.

HURIWA said the revelations emerging from the Senate investigative hearing on the management of over N16.6 billion released to the Commission from the 2025 budget allocation raise disturbing questions that demand immediate intervention by anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies.

The rights group particularly expressed outrage over allegations presented before the Senate Committee that the Commission allegedly expended N153 million on the rent of a one-room liaison office in Abuja and listed another N2.5 billion under what was reportedly categorized as "implied expenditure."

According to HURIWA, such allegations, if established through investigation, represent a shocking abuse of public trust and a reckless deployment of scarce public resources at a time millions of citizens in the South-East region continue to grapple with poor infrastructure, youth unemployment, insecurity, inadequate healthcare facilities and widespread economic hardship.

"The Nigerian people are entitled to know how every kobo appropriated for regional development is spent. The allegations emerging from the Senate hearing are deeply troubling and demand immediate, transparent and independent investigation. No public official entrusted with development funds should be allowed to treat public resources as personal assets."

HURIWA specifically called on the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately invite the Managing Director and relevant management officials of the South East Development Commission for interrogation and forensic scrutiny of all expenditures made from the N16.6 billion allocation.

The association stated that the Senate Committee has already performed its constitutional responsibility by exposing apparent discrepancies and demanding accountability and that anti-corruption agencies must now complement that effort through criminal and forensic investigations where necessary.

"If investigations establish financial misconduct, diversion of public funds, inflation of contracts, procurement violations or any form of abuse of office, arrests and prosecutions must follow without delay. Public office holders must understand that accountability is not negotiable and that impunity can no longer be tolerated in institutions created to uplift disadvantaged regions."

HURIWA noted that the South East Development Commission was established to address decades of infrastructural deficits and developmental neglect in the region and not to become another bureaucratic structure for wasteful spending.

The group expressed disappointment that within a relatively short period of its establishment, the Commission is already facing allegations capable of undermining public confidence in its mandate.

The association contrasted the emerging controversy with the performance of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), which it said has over the years executed numerous transformative projects across the six states of the North-East region.

According to HURIWA, despite challenges associated with post-insurgency reconstruction, the North East Development Commission has become visible through the construction and rehabilitation of roads, schools, hospitals, housing projects, water facilities and other critical infrastructure that have directly impacted millions of citizens.

"The South East Development Commission was expected to emulate and even improve upon the developmental template established by the North East Development Commission. Unfortunately, what Nigerians are hearing at this stage are allegations of questionable expenditures rather than reports of transformational projects."

The rights group further argued that the controversies surrounding the management of the Commission have cast serious doubts on the capacity of its current leadership structure to effectively deliver on its statutory mandate.

Consequently, HURIWA called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and relevant authorities to urgently review the governance architecture of the South East Development Commission and consider the immediate reconstitution of its governing board in the interest of transparency, credibility and effective service delivery.

HURIWA said that it has not categorically accused the hierarchy of the South East Development Commission of any crimes but stressed that development commissions must be managed by individuals whose commitment to integrity, accountability and prudent management of public resources is beyond reproach.

HURIWA urged the Senate Committee not to relent in its investigation and called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, professional bodies and stakeholders across the South-East to closely monitor developments surrounding the matter. HURIWA hopes that the investigative activities around the management of resources of the SEDC by the anti-graft institutions would be in a position to ascertain if anyone is guilty of these allegations or not. This is a clarion advocacy call for a full investigation.

"The South-East people deserve a development commission that works for the people and not for a privileged few. Every naira appropriated for development must translate into visible projects and measurable improvements in the lives of citizens. Anything short of this constitutes a betrayal of public trust."

The association reaffirmed its commitment to supporting all lawful efforts aimed at promoting transparency, combating corruption and ensuring that public institutions remain accountable to the Nigerian people.

Update news