Inaugurated only a little over a month ago, the Southeast Development Commission has become the vocal point in conversations around the development challenges of the Southeast geo-political zone. The Commission which hit the ground running, has now fully commenced efforts geared towards the fulfillment of its mandate. Only about three weeks ago, the Managing Director of the Commission, Mr. Mark Okoye II, and members of the Board of the Commission paid a courtesy call on all the five state governors of the five Southeastern states. To the consternation of many, the Commission was able to meet all the state governors of the Southeast and had fruitful deliberations with all the governors. For such a new Commission, this is a significant milestone that speaks to the Commission’s readiness to address concerns from the ground up, rather than impose its designs.
Over the years, the recurrent decimal is that the Southeast leaders are not cooperating or synergizing with each other, which has seriously jeopardized the pursuit of a collective regional agenda for the Southeast. Given this background, it is therefore remarkable that all the five governors of the five Southeast states are fully working in collaboration with the Commission. Just last week, the governor of Enugu State, Mr. Peter Mbah, handed over to the Commission an office complex that he promised during their visit about three weeks ago.
But beyond these, what does the Southeast Development Commission really mean to the Southeasterner?
Responding to the above, Dr. Tochukwu Nnama, a lecturer at a federal university in the Southeast, said that the Commission is good for the Southeast. He also commended the assurance of collaboration they have so far gotten from the five Southeast State Governors. “They (the Commission) will bring more development to the region, that’s what we want”, Dr. Nnama said. Reacting to cooperation with state governors, Dr. Nnama said “It’s a welcome development and we the people are happy that the Commission is causing the five states of the region to open their doors”. The Southeast Governor’s Forum is known, out of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria not to be meeting. It is one forum fraught with all manner of speculations bothering around ego or struggle for power in place of collaboration. This challenge, it would appear, is being addressed by the leadership of the new Commission.
But for Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu Jnr, the relevance of the Commission is tied to the essence of its establishment. Ojukwu Jnr was of the impression that the major reason that shadowed the establishment of the Commission holds the answer to its relevance in the scheme of things about Southeast’s development. However, he reserves measured optimism that the leadership of the Commission can make a difference by steering the Commission towards fostering prosperity and development for the zone. “It sounds like a good idea; but actually, there might be more because depending on why it was really set up. But it also depends on who is in charge and his readiness for the job to avoid undermining Southeast governors,” Emeka Ojukwu said. This correlates with the position of Prof. Emmanuel Duru, who described the Commission as a product of mere politics lacking in substance. The above responses depict the two divides there are in conversations about the Southeast Development Commission. On one hand, there are high expectations rooted in optimism and on the other hand, is skepticism rooted in no expectations at all or measured optimism.
However, in a recent chat with the West African Pilot News, the Managing Director of the Southeast Development Commission, Mr. Mark Okoye II, told Ebuka Onyekwelu that the Commission is committed to values and all the collaboration it needs to make the desired impact in the Southeast. Mr. Okoye, a former Anambra State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, had served as the MD of the Anambra State Investment Protection and Promotion Agency, just before he was appointed MD of the Southeast Development Commission.
So far, expectations are high in some quarters, yet in others, there are no expectations at all. Either way, the only thing that matters is whether the Commission can maintain its pace and earn its mark to win both those with high expectations and those with no expectations at all.
Ebuka graduated with a second-class upper-division degree in Political Science from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master's Degree in Political Science with a specialization in Government and Development Studies from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Nigeria. His academic background and professional experience have equipped him with a deep understanding of political dynamics and governance issues.
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