The South East Development Commission (SEDC) is set to roll out community-based social impact programmes, aimed at improving the welfare and livelihoods of people living in rural communities across the South-East.
The SEDC Managing Director, Mark Okoye Jnr, disclosed this during the commission’s renewed hope community advancement programme sensitisation and awareness campaign in Ngbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Okoye Jnr., who was represented by the Executive Director, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development at the SEDC, Cliff Ogbede, said the commission has embarked on consultations with traditional rulers, town union executives, religious leaders and other stakeholders across the region to identify priority areas where the SEDC’s interventions can have the greatest impact.
According to him, the approach is designed to ensure that development interventions are informed by the actual needs and aspirations of the communities.
“As a federal government agency established to steer the ship of development in the region, we have come to interface with you and identify projects that will improve the lives of our people and, at the same time, increase commercial activities within our rural communities,” he explained.
Okoye Jnr. added that the SEDC has invested considerable time since its establishment in developing a comprehensive development blueprint for the South-East, which has received the endorsement of the five governors of the region.
He noted that although many expected the commission to commence immediate project execution following its inauguration, the SEDC deliberately prioritised planning and the development of a sustainable roadmap.
Drawing a parallel with the development experience of the former Eastern Region under its Premier, the late Michael Okpara, the SEDC managing director said the commission has studied the planning approach that underpinned the region’s remarkable economic transformation.
He recalled that Okpara assembled a team of experts who spent about 18 months developing a comprehensive development plan before implementation commenced, adding that the scale of the development challenges facing the South-East requires the SEDC to be strategic in deploying its resources.
He said the SEDC is committed to complementing its regional development plans with interventions that would directly improve the quality of life and economic opportunities of people at the community level.
Okoye Jnr. also used the occasion to highlight the mandate and activities of the SEDC and expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for establishing the commission as a dedicated instrument for the development and regeneration of the South-East.
Speaking on behalf of the community, the President-General of the Ngbo Town Union, Emma Odo, commended the SEDC for adopting a consultative approach to community development and assured the commission of the cooperation of the 10 Ngbo autonomous communities.
Odo said Ngbo has endured decades of developmental challenges arising from the civil war and a longstanding communal dispute with neighbouring Agila community in Benue State, which he said has been resolved only a few weeks earlier.
He identified road infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, markets and agro-processing as some of the community’s most urgent development priorities.
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“We want you to reconstruct the new Ngbo road, connecting all the 10 autonomous communities in Ngbo. We also want the SEDC to assist us with the 10-kilometre road connecting us to our Agila neighbours in Benue State. That road can also serve as a gateway to Abuja and Northern Nigeria,” he said.
He also appealed for the establishment of a standard hospital in a central location accessible to the 10 autonomous communities, noting that residents currently depend largely on poorly equipped health centres and often travel to Abakaliki for specialised medical treatment.
