The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused the South East Development Commission (SEDC) of failing to deliver any tangible development projects one year after receiving an approved budget of N140 billion, demanding full transparency and accountability from the commission’s leadership.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA said its independent investigations revealed no concrete evidence of infrastructural projects or development initiatives executed by the SEDC across the South-East region since the commission commenced operations.
The rights group said repeated efforts to obtain a detailed account of the commission’s achievements from the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, and the Chairman of the SEDC Governing Board, Chief Emeka Wogu, yielded no satisfactory response.
According to HURIWA, Chief Wogu, when contacted, reportedly said the commission had only “set its roadmap,” while Senator Kalu allegedly stated that he had no information to provide on any achievements recorded by the SEDC since its establishment.
HURIWA recalled that the National Assembly approved a budget of N140 billion for the South East Development Commission in the 2025 financial year, as contained in the N54.9 trillion 2025 federal budget passed on February 14. The group noted that other regional development commissions—South-West, South-South and North-Central—received the same allocation, while the North-West Development Commission was allocated N145.61 billion. The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) received the highest allocation of N626.53 billion.
The SEDC Board, chaired by Chief Emeka Wogu, with Mr. Mark Okoye as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, was inaugurated in February 2025 following the signing of the establishing bill into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in July 2024.
HURIWA recalled that during his inaugural address, Okoye cited World Bank estimates that the South-East would require an annual investment of $10 billion over 30 years to bridge its infrastructure gap. He had also outlined plans to collaborate with state governments, the private sector and development partners to grow the region into a $200 billion economy by 2035.
The commission had identified security and investment infrastructure, agriculture, industrialisation, technology and innovation, and human capital development as its priority areas, while also acknowledging challenges such as insecurity, unemployment, poor ease of doing business and over 2,500 active erosion sites in the region.
However, HURIWA argued that despite these ambitious declarations, there is no evidence on ground to suggest that the SEDC has commenced meaningful development projects in any of the five South-East states—Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
The group noted that the establishment of the SEDC initially generated optimism among South-East stakeholders, given its mandate to rebuild and rehabilitate the region after decades of post-civil war neglect. It warned, however, that bureaucratic inefficiency, political interference and lack of transparency now threaten the credibility of the commission.
HURIWA further questioned why the appointment of a “young and dynamic” Managing Director in Mark Okoye—whose confirmation by the Senate in January 2025 was widely celebrated—has not translated into visible developmental strides across the region.
The rights organisation called on Igbo youths, professionals and civil society groups to demand accountability from the SEDC, warning that it would be unacceptable for funds allocated for regional development to be mismanaged or diverted by political elites.
HURIWA insisted that the SEDC must urgently provide a detailed public account of how the N140 billion allocation has been utilised, stressing that the commission was created to serve the collective development interests of the South-East and not private or political agendas.
The group concluded that without transparency and measurable outcomes, the SEDC risks losing public trust and failing in its historic mandate to drive development, restore confidence and unlock the economic potential of the South-East region.
HURIWA Queries SEDC’s N140bn Budget, Says No Visible Impact After One Year
