The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, John Azuta-Mbata, has urged the Federal Government to prioritise consistent and adequate funding for the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) as a pathway to national reconciliation and regional development.
Azuta-Mbata made the appeal on Wednesday at the ongoing four-day South-East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders Forum in Enugu. He described the commission as a practical demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to equity, justice, and inclusion.
The forum, which commenced on Tuesday, is designed to outline a unified socio-economic development blueprint for the South-East and reposition the region as a global industrial hub by 2050. It has drawn participation from governors, private sector leaders, professionals in the diaspora, and other stakeholders.
While acknowledging the South-East’s longstanding contributions to Nigeria’s growth through innovation and entrepreneurship, Azuta-Mbata said that feelings of exclusion and neglect had persisted in parts of the region.
“It would be dishonest not to acknowledge that over the years, feelings of exclusion, neglect and unresolved grievances have taken root in parts of our region. If left unaddressed, these sentiments can weaken national cohesion,” he said.
He stressed that the relevance of the SEDC goes beyond infrastructure, describing it as a key tool for reconciliation and healing.
“I respectfully appeal to the Federal Government to fully utilise the South-East Development Commission by providing it with appropriate and sustained funding. This will not only accelerate development, but also help assuage lingering ill feelings, rebuild confidence and heal old wounds in Igboland,” he added.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the SEDC, Dr Mark Okoye, highlighted the scale of the region’s infrastructure challenges, estimating the deficit at about $10bn. He called for stronger collaboration among the five South-East states—Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo—to pursue large-scale, bankable projects collectively instead of competing for limited investment capital.
“The signal sent by the physical and virtual presence of Igbo professional groups from across America, Europe and Asia underscores a collective readiness to rebuild the regional economy,” Okoye said.
He also noted that the South-East receives an estimated $4bn annually in diaspora remittances and suggested that such funds could be channelled into legacy infrastructure projects, including regional gas pipelines.
Development practitioner Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu urged stakeholders to ensure that the Vision 2050 agenda translates into measurable improvements for rural communities.
“Vision 2050 must move from paper to practice. Development is bigger than party lines; it is about people,” she said, emphasising the need to place women and youth at the centre of the plan’s implementation.
Representing Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, welcomed participants and stressed that transformational growth could not be achieved by any state acting alone.
He reiterated Enugu State’s commitment to a people-centred, innovation-driven and private sector-led development model.
The forum continues on Thursday with technical sessions focusing on priority sectors such as agriculture, transportation and the digital economy, with the aim of producing a comprehensive roadmap for the region over the next 25 years.