Group urges SEDC to construct, rehabilitate  federal roads in the region 

By, Chinelo Kodilichukwu Enugu 

The South East Communities Development Association (SECDA) and South East Communities Development Association Cooperative Union have urged the South East Development Commission (SEDC) and Federal Ministry of Regional Development, to construct and rehabilitate Federal Roads in the zone. 

The group disclosed this during their maiden conference organized at Toscana hotel Independence layout Enugu, with the theme “Our expectations from South East Development Commission and Federal Ministry of Regional Development”.

SECDA, emphasized that the aim of the association is to synergies with the South East Development Commission and penetrate into the various communities in the region to ensure that there is development in the various communities in the region.

The National Coordinator of SECDA, Isidore Ehochi in his address urged SEDC to adopt SECDA as partners and a tool to achieve their aims and objectives. 

He promised that the association will penetrate into the grassroots communities to sensitize them, present their program to them and pleaded with the communities to cooperate with the association to achieve their aim.

“SECDA belongs to all the communities of the region and by implementation all the people of the region.  In view of this, we are also making special appeal to the leadership of South East Development Commission to formally adopt SECDA as one of its useful community based organisations for the implementations of some of its programmes that are targeted at the grassroots,” he pleads.

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The  former President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo worldwide and also former minister Chief John Nnia Nwodo, represented by Godsown Onwuzurike in his speech, lamented that Southeast roads has the worst road network in the federation stressing that the  road network in the zone does not provide the growth of a domestic market or the attraction of industries.

According to him, “The Enugu – Onitsha expressway is still under construction since the end of the civil war. The internal roads communicating major towns in the Southeast are either unpassable or unsafe. Our region is mostly unsafe because it has no viable economy that can employ our youths.

“This meeting must be seen as a wake up call, for all of us to support and advise the South East Development Commission to produce an agenda that will support our state governments, the Federal and our many enterprising industrialists.”

 “Agriculture is another low hanging opportunity which if  mechanized will engage our youths and women productively and activate our latent potentialities. There is no reason we can’t be self-sufficient in the production of yam, potatoes, cassava, tomatoes and various fruits.”

“Our Palm trees are mega in their capacity to generate nuts and oil heavily demanded in the international market and longings to be used by our industrialists in the production of other products like butter, and shells for rural roads”. 

He advised that meetings involving professionals of the Southeast from economic, science, banking, pharmacy and many other fields should evolve and develop feasibility programs that can evolve into bankable projects or government programs.

The Deputy speaker in the federal house of representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who was represented by Barrister  Micheal Ani in his speech advised the association to set up an agenda for the SEDC to work with. He urged them to brainstorm, “put on a thinking cap and think of better ways the region can do things together”. He promised to give them support they need to achieve their aims and objectives.

The member representing Oru west constituency, Dominic Ugochukwu Ezenyiloha in his speech hampered on Igbo unity, pointing that all federal and important roads should be cued into SEDC. He urged the Igbo people to come together and help the commission to achieve better results. 

He further advised SEDC to always select youths at the age of 27 years from the zone to join the military during recruitments for a higher position.

Furthermore, SECDA and other stakeholders during the conference urged the South East Development Commission to ensure that airports and seaports in the zone are brought to international standard and further advice them to encourage industrialization of Southeast in order to provide jobs for the youths.

They urged SEDC to strengthen the security architecture of the zone to ensure that the zone is free frome crime and terrorism that hinders investment and industrialization. They further emphasized on establishment of Educational Institutions in the region stressing that scholarships should be given to the students from the zone.