South East Development Commission: Wetin make Senate dey investigate SEDC MD Okoye?

Di Nigeria Senate Committee on di South East Development Committee dey accuse di MD of di commission, Mark Okoye, of incompetence and financial mismanagement.

But Oga Okoye don deny am.

Dis mata happun as Okoye and im team bin appear bifor di senate committee on Tuesday to give account of wetin dem don do so far, six months afta di federal govment officially release about 16.6 billion naira ($12 million) for di SEDC to start operation.

For di hearing, chairman of di senate committee who also be di former govnor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, tok say e dey "highly disappointed" wit di report wey Mr Okoye give dem, and e tok say di report no tally wit information wey di committee bin don get from di Central Bank of Nigeria and di Ministry of Finance.

Oda members of di committee wey dey present for di hearing include Enyinnaya Abaribe of Abia State, Victor Umeh of Anambra State, and Ezenwa Onyewuchi of Imo State.

Kalu say according to di figures from CBN, di SEDC get about 13 billion naira ($10 million) remaining for dia account, even though Mr Okoye say na about 11 or 12 billion naira dem get.

However, Kalu say di senate committee no dey satisfied wit di explanation of how di SEDC spend about 3.5. billion naira ($2 million) inside just six months, wit nothing solid to show for am.

"Dis committee get access to anywia wey you fit spend moni or keep money. I don tok wit di Central Bank and we go send di auditor general to come and audit evritin wey you don do," Kalu tok.

"We no dey satisfied wit your job. Dis no be job wey somebody wey dey claim to be expert like you suppose dey do. I dey disappointed and dis committee dey very very very disappointed wit you."

Kalu also accuse Okoye say di SEDC dey rent one small, one-room office for Abuja wia dem dey pay 153 million naira as rent.

Las las, di senate committee say dem dey give di SEDC oga one week to go and put im report in order and present am again bifor dem, although Mr Okoye tok say one week no be enuf time for dem, di senators insist say dem no go give am more time.

For im defence, oga Mark Okoye tok say evri expenditure wey di SEDC don do so far under im management dey lawful, and dem go towards priority projects.

"Our approach na to make sure say we direct available resources towards priority projects. Wetun we wan avoid na situation wia we go award contracts witout di financial capacity to execute dem," e tok.

Afta di senate hearing, di SEDC also release statement wia dem explain some of di accuse wey di senators bin sama dem.

Dem tok say "di commission neva receive any fund from dia capital budget" but dem don draw on any available resource and good will to dey carry out ground works pending wen govment release capital to dem.

For di space wey Kalu tok say di SEDC bin pay 153 million for one-room, dem explain say dat place na dia liaison office for Abuja wey dey for 70 Mississippi Street, Maitama, and dem dey occupy di basement, ground floor, and boardroom of di building, and di amount no be rent but na lease agreement wey don dey on since February of 2025.

Di statement also explain say di 2.5 billion naira wey dem bin capture for dia report as "implied expenditure", na contract wey dem bin award for di renovation of dia headquarters for Enugu, and say evritin na according to di Public Procurement Act.

"To be precise: dis money neva leave di commission accounts," di statement tok.

Di SEDC promise say demo go provide all dia record to di senate committee on 23 June 2026, including dia contract details, payment schedule, and evri supporting financial documents.

Who be di SEDC

Di South East Development Commission officialy start to dey exist on 24 July 2024, wen President Bola Tinubu sign di establishment bill into law, but dem inaugurate di board on 12 February 2025.

E take anoda 10 months for di federal govment to approve about 16 billion naira for di commission to start work.

Dem create di SEDC to help bring more development to di five States wey dey for di southeast region of Nigeria - Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.

"Our mission na to drive transformative projects wey go uplift livelihoods, strengthen regional integration, and position di South East as hub of opportunity and progress," di commission write for dia website.

Di demand to create development commissions for almost all di geopolitical zones for Nigeria start afta di federal govment create di Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), sake of di devastation wey don hapun for dat area bicos of oil explorartion.

Oil spills don damage several areas for di Nigeri Delta region and dis make di pipo to start to demand for beta treatment and care for di region wey dey produce almost all di moni wey dey sustain di kontri.

Di NDDC start to operate for di year 2000, and e no tey, di pipo of di northeast region start dia own demand, claiming say the boko haram insurgency and activities of terrorists for di region don also cause plenty devastation and destruction.

For October 2017, di Nigeria govment also approve di North East Development Commission (NEDC), and since den di SEDC don join in 2024, while di South West Development Commission (SWDC) and di South-South Development Commissions don also come up for March 2025.

Di southeast pipo claim say dia region bin dey negatively affected by di civil war wey hapun betwin 1967 to 1970, as well as natural factors like ecological degradation, plus di economic stagnation wey don befall di region sake of renewed agitation by some pipo to separate from Nigeria and bicom independent kontri - Biafra.

Who be Mark Okoye

Mark Okoye, na di first Managing Director of di SEDC, wey bin start to work for govment wen e dey im mid 20s.

Okoye don work as special assistants to former govnors of Anambra State like Peter Obi and Willie Obiano, bifor Obiano make am di youngest commissioner for Nigeria on di day e mark im 30th birthday in June of 2016.

E also work wit di current govnor, Chukwuma Soludo bifor im appointment as SEDC MD.

A graduate of George Washington University for di US, Okoye bin work small as investment banker for Nigeria bifor e enta public service.

E don win plenty awards for im achievements for public service, like di di Future Awards Africa Prize for Young Person of the Year 2016; member of di first batch of Obama Foundation Africa Leaders Program; and special recognition award by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, as di Reform Champion for Anambra State for di World Bank 2018 Ease of Doing Business Subnational Index.

Ahead of di 2023 election, Okoye bin run for House of Representatives seat, but e no win.