The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has lauded President Bola Tinubu for giving assent to the South-East Development Commission (SEDC).
The Publicity Secretary of the group, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, made the commendation in a statement issued in Enugu on Wednesday.
Ogbonnia stated that the group received the news of the president’s assent to the bill with immense relief and joy.
“This is a quantum leap, a hope renewal and a significant part of a new beginning by President Tinubu,” he stated.
According to him, the President General of the apex-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, was highly elated and sends a warm gratitude to the president for the development.
Ogbonnia also commended the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and the “co-sponsors of the all-important Bill”.
He recalled that during a courtesy visit to the National Assembly by the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the exceptional quality of Kalu did not go unnoticed.
“His suave, assertive, sagacious and visionary dispositions were very inspiring and a veritable source of hope.
“More importantly, he commands the respect and confidence of most members of the House of Representatives.
“It needs a mention that the SEDC, which has remained in the pipeline for decades, has come on stream through Kalu and his team,” he added.
He further stated that the commission was expected to manage funds allocated from the Federation Account for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads and other infrastructural deficits suffered by the region due to age-long neglect.
He explained that the commission would also tackle ecological problems and related environmental challenges that had devastated the Southeast for decades.
“The SEDC will go a long way to assuage the feelings of the Igbo with respect to the 3R sophistry by General Yakubu Gowon in January 1970.
“Gowon had assured the world that there would be three “R”: Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the Igboland as a result of war ravages.
“But 54 years after the war, the Southeast has witnessed the direct opposite of the 3R, even in exponential proportion.
“South-East has the least number of Local Government Areas, the least number of states, the least in political appointments, the least members in the House of Representatives, the least in the Senate and, of course, the worst in infrastructure,” he stressed.
“With the structures, Federal Government enlarged the coast of other geopolitical zones, leaving the South-East in the cold.
“No one should, therefore, look elsewhere in the search for the persistent youth restiveness and secessionist agitations in the region.
“Furthermore, the South-East Governors, led by the governor of Imo, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, will leverage the opportunity created by the commission to anchor programmes that will fully harness and promote industrial, agricultural and tourism in the region.
Others are energy, commercial and investment potentials in the zone as well as help to create the much desired centrally coordinated security architecture in the zone and more.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo youth body hails Tinubu for SEDC Act
The Youth Wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has commended President Bola Tinubu for assenting to the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) Bill into law.
The Acting National Youth Leader of the group, Mr Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, made the commendation during an interactive session with newsmen in Awka on Wednesday.
Okpalaezeukwu said that Tinubu had finally ended the age-long civil war in the South-East with the creation of the commission.
He expressed the confidence that the commission would not only heal the region, but add value to the collective struggle to restore peace and stability in the troubled zone and Nigeria at large.
He said: “We commend the president for the boldness and patriotic act of assenting to the South-East Development Commission Bill.
“I must commend all the stakeholders who played critical role to ensure this milestone achievement and making this dream a reality.
“I thank particularly the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Chief Benjamin Kalu, and his colleagues, Southeast Governors, led by Sen. Hope Uzodinma of Imo, and the National Assembly.
“By assenting to the bill to establish the commission, the president has finally ended the age-long civil war in Southeast.
“Recall that the war ended on a treaty of Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, but successive governments did not implement that treaty.
“We are hopeful that the commission shall implement the treaty.”
Okpalaezeukwu further expressed optimism that the commission would assist in healing the nation and Southeast on the basis of equity, justice and fairness.
“We affirm our absolute support and solidarity to the Tinubu-led administration,” he said.
ICYMI: Tinubu signs development commission establishment bills
President Bola Tinubu has signed into law bills to accelerate development across geo-political zones in the country.
This is contained in a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, on Wednesday in Abuja.
The statement said the President assented to the North-West Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2024, and the South-East Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2023.
According to the statement, the North-West Development Commission is set up to facilitate the reconstruction of roads, houses, and business premises destroyed by multidimensional crisis.
It is also expected to tackle poverty, literacy level, ecological problems, and any other related environmental or development challenges in North-West states.
It added that the South-East Development Commission was established to ensure the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads, houses and other infrastructural damages suffered by the zone.
It is also expected to tackle ecological problems and other related environmental or developmental challenges in South-East states.
“President Tinubu believes in building the nation on the fulcrum of fairness, equity, and unity.
“Hence, he is committed to ensuring equitable development, inclusive governance, and the provision of qualitative services to all Nigerians — no matter where they reside — while knitting even more tightly together the national fabric,” it said.