By Emeka Nwosu, PhD.
The public presentation and defence of the 2026 Budget of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) by its Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Mark Okoye II, before the Senate Committee on SEDC have generated a lot of angry reactions from a cross section of critics in the South East. The misplaced reactions were in response to the proposed figures for some sub-heads which, in their considered opinions, were bloated and outrageous. Some of these critics went overboard by attacking the person of the Managing Director and accusing him of wasting money on frivolities.
I believe it would serve the best interest of the public when facts are clearly separated from fiction and fabrications. The critics, some of who are believed to be propelled by partisan considerations, are spewing their anger on the grounds that the contested budget sub-heads dwelt on what they considered intangibles like Technical Feasibility Studies, Legal and Administrative Set-up; Media and PR Communications/Branding; Diaspora Engagements; Innovation Hubs and Training Incubation; Regional Security Operations and Regional Security Infrastructure, amongst others.
THE ROAD TO FAILURE
These elements who are criticizing the budget of the SEDC and its MD/CEO are miffed that there are no budgeted provisions for politically-motivated projects like construction of boreholes, primary school blocks, and provision of wheel barrows, motor cycles, tri-cycles, sewing machines, hair dryers and bags of rice and cash handouts in the name of economic empowerment. All these fall within the category of what is known as constituency projects, through which our elected representatives siphon money into their personal pockets. The SEDC cannot go by this route. It will lead to failure. It is the route which older interventionist agencies like Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and North East Development Commission (NEDC) followed, and it led them to nowhere.
Rather the landscape of the regions presided over by NDDC and NEDC are littered with failed projects with nothing to show for all the trillions and billions of naira that have passed through them. At the recent SEDC Vision 2050 stakeholders` forum held in Enugu, the NDDC and NEDC were appropriately described as Procurement Commissions which have not succeeded in transforming their regions. This is the basic reason why SEDC cannot chart a similar path.
NEED FOR METICULOUS PLANNING FOR EFFECTIVE TAKE-OFF
A closer scrutiny of the budget of the SEDC reveals an agency that wants to do things differently so that it can effectively deliver on its mandate. The meticulous planning of the SEDC is evident in the budget in question. The picture that emerges is a visionary leadership that is committed to laying a very strong foundation for an orderly infrastructural development of the region. The quoted budget figures are clearly intended to ensure that the region is anchored on a very firm footing.
As an interested stakeholder who has followed the course of action in the SEDC since it was set up a year ago, I am aware that the leadership of the Commission has preoccupied itself with several crucial engagements with relevant stakeholders, including governors of the five South East States, Federal MDAs, Development Partners like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Afrexim Bank, African Development Bank, World Trade Organization led by own Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, multi-lateral institutions and the Igbo Diaspora.
Through these engagements, the Commission has been able to gain useful ideas on how such an interventionist agency like the SEDC can be successfully managed to bring value to the people of South East. Within this period, the agency worked with consultants from the World Bank and other reputable international organizations. The leadership also consulted widely with the governors of the South East and the supervising Ministry of Regional Development. Much more importantly, Mark Okoye and his team interfaced with the office of the Vice President, His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima which coordinates the Regional Development Commissions to secure the required political support necessary for the effective take-off of the SEDC.
These vital engagements culminated in the South East Vision 2050 stakeholders’ forum which gave an ample opportunity to the people of the South East to make inputs into the development agenda of the Commission. The forum which attracted all governors of the South East and other key stakeholders was a huge success. It is that programme that set the tone for the physical take-off of the Commission in the South East.
In all these engagements, Mark Okoye proved himself as a team player, and a disciplined and prudent leader as attested to by the Minister of Regional Development, Alhaji Abubakar Momoh at the Enugu event. The Minister tasked other Regional Development Commissions to learn from the inspiring experiences of the SEDC which, through a meticulous planning, has laid a very solid foundation for infrastructural transformation of the South East region.
THE BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
A breakdown of the budget shows that the sum of N1.6 billion was allocated for Technical Feasibility Studies; N2 Billion for Master Planning and Urban Design; and N500 Million for Business Case Development; N2 billion for Legal and Administrative Set-up; N5.5 billion for Innovation Hubs; N1.5 billion for Training and Incubation; N1 billion for Stakeholders` engagements and N780 million for Diaspora Engagements; N3.5 billion for regional security operations and N10. 5 billion for security infrastructure.
Critics would seem to have based their judgments on the face value of the quoted figures without really considering the underlying and intervening variables. The budget for technical feasibility studies and master planning and business case development covers costs the production of these plans and remunerations for consultants drawn from multi-lateral institutions like the World Bank and UNDP. These fees are paid in dollars. The involvements of these experts and the bankable projects they come up with increase investors` confidence in the South East.
The critics also questioned the security budgets without seeking to understand the issues in contention. What the Commission is trying to do is to bring the entire East under a regional security surveillance with a common control and command centre to be located in Enugu. This would ensure that there is no fragmentation or duplication of efforts by the individual states in the region. The commission seeks to leverage on the major strides that the Enugu State Government under Governor Peter Mbah has made in this regard. Indeed, it was Governor Soludo who suggested at the SEV 2050 Stakeholders` Forum that the Command and Control Centre be located in Enugu.
The amount voted for the security coverage of the South East is a worthwhile investment, considering the security threats by non-state actors in the zone. A secured environment would bolster the confidence of investors to bring in their capital and investments in the zone.
EXPECTATIONS:
The people of the South East, understandably, expect to see visible projects like railway lines, gas master plan, industrial parks and mega inter-state highways. These are legitimate expectations from a region which, for long has been marginalized in the scheme of things. They see the SEDC as the pathway to economic transformation and infrastructural rejuvenation of the zone. Those projects are capital intensive which government funding alone cannot be sufficient to execute. This is where the meticulous planning and extensive stakeholders` engagements of Mark Okoye and his team should be properly appreciated.
Much of the funds expected to execute these mega projects are expected to come from the diaspora groups and international multi-lateral agencies. With the extensive work that the SEDC leadership has done in the last one year, there is great hope that these vital funds would be sourced through the South East Investment Company (SEIC) which Mark Okoye and his team worked so hard to secure its approval by the Federal Government. It is important to note that the SEIC, the first of its kind by any of the existing Development Commissions, was capitalized by the Federal Government to tune of N150 billion.
CONCLUSION:
Mark Okoye and his Executive Management have done a commendable job in anchoring the SEDC on a very solid foundation. Rather than vilification, they deserve our support, encouragement and prayers. They should remain steadfast and resist any attempt by politicians to capture the commission for their selfish motives. The SEDC leadership has started well. They should remain focused and resilient. In the fullness of time, the South East would bounce back with the governors and SEDC and other stakeholders working together
.Dr. Nwosu, a Public Policy Analyst, writes from Umuahia.
Email; cdnwosu2@gmail.com
