Reps panel inspects SEDC headquarters in Enugu, praises progress
- A House of Representatives committee visited the South-East Development Commission's headquarters in Enugu.
- Chairman Chris Nkwonta said the building will help turn the post-civil war Three Rs into real programmes.
- Managing Director Mark Okoye said the rent-free four-storey building was donated by the Enugu State Government.
A House of Representatives committee has inspected the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) headquarters in Enugu State and said it is satisfied with the progress of work there.
The Chairman of the House Committee on SEDC, Hon Chris Nkwonta, led the oversight visit, which The Nation said was part of the National Assembly's duty to monitor how the Commission spends its resources and delivers on its mandate.
Nkwonta said the headquarters would give the Commission the institutional base it needs to turn the Three Rs — Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation — drawn up after the Nigerian Civil War into practical development programmes.
He said the Commission's mandate offers a chance to tackle the effects of the war, decades of neglect and infrastructure gaps across the five South-East states. Through its programmes, he added, it would help rebuild federal roads, public buildings and urban centres.
Rent-free building to cut costs
The SEDC Managing Director, Mr Mark Okoye, told journalists the headquarters is a four-storey building donated by the Enugu State Government.
He said bringing departments, executive management and staff under one roof would improve coordination, planning and project delivery, and end the fragmentation of the Commission's work.
Okoye also said operating from a rent-free building would cut overhead and property costs, freeing more money for roads and community projects.
He said the headquarters would serve as a hub for cooperation among the five South-East states and for initiatives meant to boost entrepreneurship and technology.
He cited the South-East Venture Capital Programme, launched in May 2026, which is meant to fund young tech innovators, set up innovation hubs and address the movement of young people from the region to Lagos and Abuja.
Okoye said the facility would also help the Commission attract investment through the proposed South-East Investment Company, which is intended to connect private investors and diaspora funders with major projects in the region.
He expressed optimism that better coordination, partnerships and sustained investment would speed up development and create economic opportunities in the South-East.
What happens next
The committee's findings from the visit were not made public in the reports. The proposed South-East Investment Company and the venture capital programme are still at the planning or early stage, according to the accounts given.
