President Tinubu right in composition of board membership of South East Development Commission–Ex-Abia lawmaker, Chijioke
By Chijindu Emeruwa
Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former minority leader of the Abia State House of Assembly, Honorable Chukwu Chijioke has insisted that there’s no provision in the act that established South East Development Commission(SEDC) that mandates Nigerian President to consult stakeholders before nominating board members of the commission.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made right choice in the composition of board membership of South East Development Commission, describing as lies the claim by the National Vice chairman Southeast of the APC, Ijeomah Arodiogbu that a list of names compiled by stakeholders from the southeast zone for commission was jettisoned for a new one.
Chijioke who spoke while featured in live program anchored by Tv Continental, monitored by our correspondent.
According to the ex-lawmaker, “First and foremost, I don’t think Dr Arodiogbu is well informed about what the Act says concerning nomination of board membership of the South East Development Commission, and other commissions that are newly established in the country.
“Part A, section two in the Act that established South East Development Commission said the chairman and Managing Director and three executive Directors before it was amended to five, and other members of the board shall be appointed by the president subject to the confirmation of the Senate.
“Part B said it shall be person of proven integrity and ability. That is the word, it shall be appointed by the president. And I take exception to allusions made by Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu that the list prepared by southeast stakeholders during a meeting was jettisoned. There is no place in the Act that says the President need to consult the stakeholders or consult any governor from southeast zone before taking his nomination.
“As a former minority leader of Abia state House of Assembly, I have talked to most of the stakeholders from my state and there was no any meeting of stakeholders or consultations made that a particular list should be forwarded to the President for onward transmission to the Senate for confirmation as members of SEDC”.
Continuing, he stated “What should bother Southeasterners is the people appointed, are they men of proven Integrity? Are there people who have capacity? Because it’s a new development commission. What we should be thinking is people who have the capacity; who have the intellectual depth; who have the proven Integrity and track records to drive this development commission, and give southeast the needed development. Southeast is bedeviled by kidnapping and separatist agitations over a decade.
“Somebody in the capacity of the Board chairman, a former minister, a two-time member of the Federal Revenue, Mobilization and Fiscal Commission. And the Director for Finance who was a former speaker of Abia state House of Assembly and former member of the house of representatives. I can mention so many of them. Go and look at the Managing Director. The President has looked beyond sentiment and partial interest to appoint people.
“Imo and Ebonyi were not excluded in the composition of membership of the South East Development Commission. That is not true. I don’t think we have gone through the list submitted by the president to the Senate. That is another lies Dr Arodiogbu want the unsuspecting members of the public to buy into. Because he cannot see beyond personal selfish interest.
“I think, what should bother the southeast now is unity among the component states. What should bother us in APC is to forge wayforward to provide a united front and ensure that APC as a party get rooted in the southeast, which is why the President has opened new frontier. If you look at the members of the South East Development Commission, it cut across all the states,”the Abia party stalwart explained.
While further commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the speedy assent of the South East Development Commission into law, Hon Chijioke also thanked the Nigerian leader for nominating credible persons to serve in the commission’s board.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had in July 2024, signed the bill establishing the South East Development Commission (SEDC) into law. First introduced in the National Assembly in June 2016, the bill aims to reconstruct and rehabilitate the region’s infrastructure damaged during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970.
This move by the Federal Government has been met with a mix of jubilation among the people of the southeast zone.
