· As Commission lauds Mbah on speedy transformation of Enugu State
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has charged the South East Development Commission, SEDC, to build the region into a common market and also work towards common regional infrastructural development to make it a choice destination for investors.
This was even as he thanked President Bola Tinubu for setting up the Commission after many years of failed attempts, describing the president’s appointees into the Commission as persons with the requisite experience and skills to achieve results.
Mbah spoke on Tuesday when he received the Board and Management of the SEDC, who were at the Government House, Enugu, as part of the Commission’s stakeholders engagement tour.
“The South East Development Commission, in my view, is an idea whose time has come. We cannot thank the President enough for bringing this idea to fruition.
“I also see SEDC as a veritable platform to launch some humongous projects and grow the region into a common market. With a landmass of less than 30,000 km2 (square km) and a population of over 27 million, we can look at the zone as a market, rather than pick each state. So, we are hoping that the SEDC will help with the realisation of that common market concept.
“Again, if we treat the South East as a common market, we will begin to ask critical questions such as: what are those enablers we need in order for us to be able to move seamlessly from one city to the others? What are those key enablers that will activate or make it attractive for huge investments to come to the zone? So, I am glad to hear that you are already thinking of a multimodal means of transportation, whether to do a rail line, super highways and just making it attractive for huge investment to come to the zone,” Mbah said.
He promised total support for and cooperation with SEDC towards the actualisation of its mandate, noting that its agenda were in consonance and complementary to what his administration was already doing in Enugu State.
“I believe that we are partners in progress. We are going to work with you in any way that it will be necessary for us to achieve a common goal. On our part in Enugu, we have started a sector-wide transformative programme. What you have in your work plan is in consonance with what we are already doing,” Mbah concluded.
Earlier in their speeches, Chairman of SEDC, Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu, and the Managing Director of the Commission, Mr. Mark Okoye, represented by the Executive Director of Projects, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, commended Dr. Mbah’s speedy and wide infrastructural transformation of Enugu State.
“Your unwavering focus on health, education, and infrastructure has yielded impressive results. The enthusiasm with which you have pursued strategic development projects has garnered both local and international admiration, and your ambitious plans for power generation and other key projects reflect a clear vision for sustainable development. Today, Enugu State stands as an attractive destination for investors and a beacon of hope for its people,” Wogu said.
“We recognise the strides that Enugu State has made in economic development, industrialization, and infrastructural advancement. These efforts align seamlessly with our broader regional aspirations,” Okoye said on his part.
He listed South East Security Intervention Programme, South East Regional Economic Programme, South East Agro-Mechanisation Programme, Renewed Hope Housing Scheme, $50 million South East Venture Capital Fund, South East Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme, Renewed Hope Community Social Impact Programme, South East Grassroots Recreation Infrastructure Programme, and Talent Development and Leadership Initiatives as high-impact programmes being championed by the Commission.
