The House of Representatives Committee on South East Development Commission ( SEDC) has approved a budget of N250bn for the SEDC for the 2025 fiscal year.
The chairman of the Committee, Chris Nkwonta, who disclosed this in an interview with journalists, on Monday -earlier today, March 3 – in Abuja, the FCT, after a budget defence session with the commission, expressed optimism that the approval of the SEDC budget would herald a new dawn in the development of the South East geo-political zone, 54 years after the Nigerian Civil war.
The lawmaker, who expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for assenting to the SEDC Act, said the SEDC budget would help to address the infrastructural decay in the South East.
According to him, “this budget essentially is going to target those areas where there were deficits in terms of infrastructure, erosion and other areas of human capital development.
“You are aware that since after the civil war, the South East has been. What it ought to be. Remember that at the end of the civil War there was this promise that was made to us.
“You know the three R’s abd till today, that has not been done until this President signed the bill into law. We are talking about 54 years after the civil war.
“This budget is essentially going to target those areas where there is deficit in infrastructure, erosion and other areas of human capital development. The Commission will be expected to build roads, bridges, railway and manpower development. ”
Nkwonta added “although the money will not be enough, this is just a take off grant. This is just the beginning because the SEDC is just a growing concern and the President has given them this take off grant.
“The commission also expects money to come in from federal allocation. I am told that money is also expected to come from the five Southeastern states, from ecological funds coming into the country and from oil companies operating in the South East.
“Even though this is not enough, we need to start from somewhere. But we are grateful to the President that after six military heads of state and five democratically elected Presidents, attention has been given to the South East.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. Even those boys that are causing trouble, when they see that the region is now being taken care of, what they are doing now will not continue. ”
