The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has declared the current leadership of South East Development Commission (SEDC) led by Mr. Mark Okoye as a blatant disgrace and ignominy to Ndigbo.
The group made the declaration in a statement on Sunday issued by it’s leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu.
MASSOB recalled that in the Southeast Development Commission Establishment Act 2024, the central purpose of the commission is for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads, houses, and other infrastructural damages suffered by Ndigbo as a result of the genocidal war waged against the people of Biafra.
But it said the commission led by what it described as ‘inexperienced political criminals’ have intentionally and consciously failed Ndigbo in discharging their duties.
“Nigeria created a special development commission for Ndigbo in fulfillment of the 3-Rs (Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation) only for Mark Okoye , the Managing Director, Dr. Emeka Nworgu the Board chairman, Hon Toby Okechukwu the Executive director of Projects, Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka the Executive Director of Finance and few others mismanage it.
“The progress of SEDC is about our region.
It is about a developmental platform which, if Ndigbo managed it well with absolute transparency and financial discipline, it can become a rallying point on which Igbos both home and abroad can leverage on to turn Igbo land to our desired megacity urbanisation and massive infrastructural developments through crowdfunding to the point that the commission may no longer depend on federal allocation for its operations”, the statement partly reads.
MASSOB further noted that Ndigbo cannot achieve this if the current leadership of SEDC under the supervision of Mark Okoye, Dr. Emeka Nworgu, Hon Toby Okechukwu, and Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka are busy taking Ndigbo for a ride.
“During a senate committee appearance of the South East Development Commission, we all watched Senator Tony Okechukwu Nwoye publicly lamenting that instead of focusing on real infrastructural projects, the Commission chose to waste scarce resources on conferences and seminars, budgeting humongous amount on things that ought not be their primary focus, such as CCTV and drones for which they budgeted a whopping 10.5 billion naira in addition to another 3.5 billion naira they claim is for regional security operation.
“MASSOB also learnt through the Commission’s budget that they have already spent 2.4 billion naira on office expenses and another 1.6 billion naira on vehicles.
“This is a commission that has no physical office in any part of Igbo land for which it was established. The commission has not been able to renovate and make the Enugu office provided free of charge by the state govt, operational more than a year and four months the board was inaugurated
“MASSOB also observed that
the SEDC MD, could not explain or tell the credit balance of the same commission he is heading when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu asked him about the balance sheet”, the statement added.
MASSOB called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack all appointees of South East Development Commission and replace them with Igbo men who experienced the Nigeria Biafra war time.
“Since this commission is for the purpose of implementation of the rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation of Biafra land and it’s people, MASSOB demand that the leadership of the commission should be given to Igbo men of integrity and zeal who participated and experienced the war time and it’s devastetive blows on Ndigbo.
“MASSOB also hails and salute Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Orji Uzor Kalu, Tony Okechukwu Nwoye and Victor Umeh for their astute and pragmatic stand in exposing the blatant criminalities and embezzlement of huge funds meant for the development of Igbo land.”
