SEDC Draws Criticism of Waste, Incompetence as Calls Grow for Tinubu’s Intervention

SEDC Draws Criticism of Waste, Incompetence as Calls Grow for Tinubu’s Intervention

The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has come under intense criticism from stakeholders across the South East over allegations of waste, incompetence and failure to deliver tangible development, with growing calls for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and reposition the agency.

Critics say that despite reportedly receiving billions of naira in federal allocations, the commission has failed to account transparently for its logistics and operational spending, while leaving no visible projects or measurable impact on the lives of people in the region.

The absence of clear deliverables, they argue, has heightened fears that funds meant for regional development may have been diverted to private and political interests.

The Igbo Community Association FCT has dismissed explanations offered by the Managing Director of the SEDC, Mr Mark Okoye, describing the commission as an institution that has deviated from its founding mandate.

The association, which represents South Easterners resident in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, accused the commission of operating largely as a patronage platform rather than a genuine development agency.

Speaking on behalf of the group, its President General, Engr. Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, expressed frustration over what he described as a total absence of direction and visible achievements. “We don’t even know what the plans of the SEDC are.

There is no clear roadmap, no visible projects, nothing to show. It has simply become a means to settle the boys. We, the South Easterners, will not accept that,” he said.

The criticism was further amplified at the inaugural meeting of the Igbo Renaissance Union (IRU), where its President, Dr Philip Ukonu, delivered a scathing assessment of the commission’s leadership.

Ukonu accused the SEDC of gross negligence and an inability to manage the sensitive mandate assigned to it, describing the agency as a “jamboree institution” that has fallen far short of public expectations.

According to him, the failure of the commission was evident from its inception, with its initial composition allegedly dominated by political loyalists and conflicting interests. He argued that the leadership appeared more focused on sharing benefits than pursuing development, a situation he described as a betrayal of the South East.

Ukonu further alleged that reports across the region suggest that once funds were released, the commission descended into what he termed a full-scale jamboree, characterised by luxury travels, high-profile conferences and social indulgences, while critical infrastructure such as roads, schools, hospitals and economic revitalisation projects were neglected.

He warned that President Tinubu now bears a moral and political responsibility to act decisively, insisting that failure to dismantle and reconstitute the commission would amount to endorsing waste and continued marginalisation of the South East.

Ukonu argued that only a comprehensive overhaul of the SEDC could restore public trust and enable it to deliver results comparable to regional intervention agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission.

“The South East deserves real development, not excuses, incompetence or political settlements,” he said.

As public scrutiny intensifies, the SEDC faces a defining moment, with stakeholders insisting that the commission must either justify its existence through transparency, accountability and visible projects, or risk outright rejection by the people it was established to serve.