The Senate confirmed all 34 nominees for the governing boards of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) and the North West Development Commission (NWDC) on Tuesday.
The confirmation occurred during the resumption of plenary, presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Mark Okoye was approved as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the SEDC, while Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji secured the same role in the NWDC.
The confirmations followed the submission of a report by the Ad-Hoc Committee on Regional Development Commissions, chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia-North). The report highlighted the nominees’ demonstrated capacities during the screening process to effectively lead their respective commissions.
A brief moment of debate emerged when some senators invoked Order 1(b), seeking to delay the confirmation for further consultations. However, the motion was unsuccessful as the Senate resolved to proceed. The lawmakers subsequently dissolved into the Committee of the Whole to consider the report, ultimately approving all the nominees.
The NWDC board includes 14 members, with Alhaji Lawal Samai’la Abdullahi as Chairman and Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Other confirmed members are Dr. Yahaya Umar Namahe, Hon. Aminu Suleiman, Ja’afar Abubakar Sadeeq, Yahaya Aminu Abdullahi, Hon. Engr. Muhammad Ali Wudil, Shamsu Sule, Nasidi Ali, Chukwu Chijtoke, Ahmed Mohammed, Engr. Ahmed Rufai Timasantyu, Macdonalds Michael Uyi, and Hon. Babatunde Dada.
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The SEDC board comprises 18 members, led by Dr. Emeka Nworgu as Chairman, with Mark Okoye as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Other members are Barr. Ugochukwu Agballah, Okey Izenwa, Hyacinth Ikpor, Chidi Echeazu, Ifeanyi Agwu, Nasiru Usman, Hamma Adama, Ali Kumo, Edward Onoja, Kufre Inima, Daniel Akwari, Joke Adebayo-Chukwuma, Stanley Ohajuruka (Executive Director, Finance), Sylvester Okonkwo (Executive Director, Corporate Services), Toby Okechukwu (Executive Director, Projects), Anthony Agbo (Executive Director, Commercial and Industrial Development), and Dr. Clifford Ogbede (Executive Director, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development).
This process followed the submission of a revised list of nominees by President Bola Tinubu four weeks ago. The candidates underwent a thorough screening process conducted by the Senate’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Regional Development Commissions.
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