The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has accused the South East Development Commission (SEDC) of failing to deliver any tangible development projects despite receiving an approved budget of ₦140 billion within its first year of operation.
In a strongly worded press statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA challenged the leadership of the SEDC to publicly account for how the huge sum allocated to the commission was spent.
“Our team of researchers has been unable to pin down any concrete evidence of infrastructural facilities set up in the South East of Nigeria for the benefit of Igbo people by the South East Development Commission,” HURIWA stated.
The group said repeated efforts to obtain details of projects executed by the commission yielded no meaningful response from key officials, including the Chairman of the Governing Board, Chief Emeka Wogu, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the SEDC, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
According to HURIWA, when asked to outline achievements of the commission, Chief Wogu merely responded:“We have set our road map etc.”
HURIWA further disclosed that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu allegedly admitted that he had “no information to give” regarding any achievements recorded by the commission since its establishment.
The rights group recalled that the National Assembly approved ₦140 billion for the SEDC in the 2025 fiscal year, as part of the ₦54.9 trillion national budget passed on February 14, 2025. The SEDC board, chaired by Chief Emeka Wogu with Mr. Mark Okoye as Managing Director, was inaugurated in February 2025.
While similar allocations were made to other regional development commissions such as the South-West, South-South and North-Central Development Commissions—HURIWA expressed concern that, unlike expectations, there is “no visible evidence of development or infrastructure” attributable to the SEDC.
The group noted that the commission was established to address decades of post-civil war neglect in the South-East, including erosion control, road reconstruction, housing, agriculture, industrialisation, and human capital development.
“From what is seen on ground in the South East, HURIWA can comfortably say that the commission has failed spectacularly to take off in such a way that the good people of the South-East region can smile joyfully in admiration,” .
HURIWA also recalled that during his inaugural remarks, Managing Director Mark Okoye cited World Bank estimates that the South-East requires $10 billion annually for 30 years to bridge its infrastructure gap, and pledged to drive the region toward a $200 billion regional economy by 2035. However, the group argued that such promises have not translated into action.
The right group warned that the SEDC risks becoming another conduit for elite capture unless urgent steps are taken to enforce transparency and accountability.
“It would be criminal if the resources approved by the Federal Government for the SEDC to energise and stimulate development in Igboland are shared and pocketed by political elites,” .
HURIWA called on Igbo youths, professionals, and intellectuals to demand full disclosure of how the ₦140 billion allocation was utilised, insisting that the commission must justify its existence through measurable projects and outcomes across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states, while emphasizing the need for to demand immediate public accounting from the SEDC management and board, stressing that accountability is non-negotiable for an agency created to drive regional development and restore public trust.
