The Senate on Tuesday asked the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) to be focused on bringing impactful development to the people of the region and not see the agency as an avenue to syphon public funds.

The Committee on South-East Development Commission gave the charge in Abuja when the management team of the SEDC appeared before it to defend the commission’s 2026 budget estimates of N140billion.

Addressing the team, which was led by the Managing Director, Mark Okoye, the Chairman of the committee and former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, said the agency must meet the objective of working to address the needs of the people of the communities in the zone.

According to him, the commission was established because the administration of President Bola Tinubu acknowledged the sufferings and the neglect the region had faced for decades.

Kalu noted that it would be disappointing if the commission failed to execute its mandate but fell into the same trap of controversies that had trailed similar development bodies in the past.

He stated that the committee would take its oversight responsibility very seriously by scrutinising the project implementation programmes to ensure that they would have a positive impact on the lives of the people.

“Our oversight work shall never be taken for granted. You were appointed to make our region very proud. Our region has suffered so much, and Mr. President has done us the honour of giving us this commission.

“I plead with you not to take this commission as a place for syphoning money. This commission is to work for our people, to rebuild our area”, Kalu said.

“This committee will be very ruthless in its oversight.”

Kalu, while reviewing the roadmap set for the development of the region by the SEDC, specifically commended the economic blueprint, noting that the people of the zone, known to be business-oriented, had been handed a lifetime opportunity to transform the area by themselves.

“The economic development of our area is most important. The President gave us this commission to do it by ourselves. We are very proud of what you are doing so far.

We will not just oversee you but pursue transparency”, added, warning all the executive directors to resist the temptation of fighting for relevance or positions that would detail the goals of the commission.

“Work with your executive directors. Don’t fight, but be wise.

“I have seen your document, and it’s bankable. So, keep it up, and we must move to pure economic dependency from political dependency,” Kalu added.

The MD, Mark Okoye, earlier presented the roadmap for the development of the region to the lawmakers, outlining broad areas covering infrastructure and a South East Investment Company to be used to achieve a $10bn economy in the next 10 years.

He also laid before the Senate the 2026 budget estimates of the commission with a total size of N140bn.

Out of the figure, N108bn is earmarked for capital projects; N23bn for overhead costs; and N7.3bn for personnel spending.

Many senators, while commenting on the proposals of the commission, advised the management team to focus on basic infrastructure that the people could use, rather than spending scarce resources on conferences, consultancy, and seminars.

For instance, Senator Tony Nwoye (Anambra-North), speaking the minds of his colleagues, listed schools and hospitals among the infrastructure of urgent need in the zone.

“The South-East needs more development than other zones. We were the first to demand a development commission.

“Let’s not waste funds on conferences or seminars of $20m.

You should build or renovate primary schools and secondary schools. Your work should focus on infrastructure like schools, hospitals,” he added. (Nigerian Tribune)