Arthur Eze, others pledge support for SEDC

South-East Development Commission (SEDC) has received commitments of support and cooperation from stakeholders in the Southeast region.

This was part of the outcome of the grand reception organised for the Commission leadership by billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Prince Arthur Eze in Enugu on over the weekend.

Arthur Eze while speaking at the event expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for demonstrating visionary leadership and recognising the
immense potential of every region, including the South East.

He said a Commission like the SEDC was expected to have been set up to drive the Reconstruction, Reconciliation, and Rehabilitation policy of Gen. Yakubu Gowon when the war ended in 1970.

He urged the SEDC to revamp the industrial infrastructure that supported the old eastern region and said the Southeast was a land of innovation, resilience, and enterprise.

He promised to support the SEDC in the areas of power and energy, manufacturing, agriculture, and industrial development and also urged other stakeholders to support it to achieve its strategic roadmap.

According to him, now that we have this Commission, we have great expectations, it should rehabilitate strategic moribund industries that can provide thousands of jobs to our youths.

“I also extend my heartfelt gratitude to the National Assembly, led by Sen. Godswill
Akpabio and our son, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, CON, whose dedication and determination ensured that this Commission became a reality,” he said.

On his part, Hon Benjamin-Okezie Kalu, the Deputy Speaker, House Of Representatives, said the SEDC would be the engine room for renewal and the architect of a modern Southeast.

Kalu who was represented by Chief. George Ozodinaobi, the Deputy Minority Whip, said the SEDC bill was not a mere legislative exercise, but a mission to address long-standing infrastructure deficits, economic stagnation, and the wounds of history that have yet to fully heal.

Kalu warned against the politicization of the Commission but called on thriving on partnership among governments, private sector, diaspora community, and all relevant institutions

According to him, the SEDC Act is more than ink on paper, it is a covenant of progress, a bridge between our storied past and the prosperous future we
dare to build.

“We have never been a people who wait for doors to open; we carve our own pathways through the mountains of limitation, today, with this Commission, we do not just carve a path, we lay a foundation for generations to come,” he said.