By CHARLES IWUOHA

The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has resolved 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 Executive Director, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development (NRARD), SEDC, Dr. Cliff Ogbede, disclosed this during the Commission’s Renewed Hope Community Advancement Programme (REHCAP) sensitisation and awareness campaign in Ngbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Speaking at the Amofia Ngbo Town Hall on Thursday, Ogbede, who represented the Managing Director/CEO of SEDC, Mark Okoye Jnr., said the Commission had embarked on consultations with traditional rulers, town union executives, religious leaders and other stakeholders across the region to identify priority areas where SEDC interventions could 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.”

Ogbede explained that SEDC had 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, SEDC deliberately prioritised planning and the development of a sustainable roadmap.

“I am aware that many people in the region thought that we would swing into action immediately after our inauguration. Rather, we invested time in developing a sustainable roadmap for the development of the region.”

Drawing a parallel with the development experience of the former Eastern Region under its Premier, the late Dr. Michael Okpara, Ogbede said the Commission had studied the planning approach that underpinned the region’s remarkable economic transformation.

He recalled that Okpara had assembled a team of experts who spent about 18 months developing a comprehensive development plan before implementation commenced.

Ogbede stressed that the scale of the development challenges facing the South-East required SEDC to be strategic in deploying its resources.

“No amount received from the Federal Government will be enough to develop the region, considering the magnitude of the ecological challenges and the infrastructure deficit arising from decades of neglect and the devastating effects of the civil war. Our responsibility, therefore, is to optimise the use and deployment of the resources available to us.”

He said SE‘C was 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.

Ogbede also used the occasion to highlight the mandate and activities of SEDC and expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing the Commission as a dedicated instrument for the development and regeneration of the South-East.

He further noted that the presence of Senator Anthony Agbo, Executive Director, Commercial and Industrial Development, who hails from the area, provided an additional opportunity for the Ngbo people to engage with the Commission in advancing their development aspirations.

Speaking on behalf of the community, the President-General of the Ngbo Town Union, Dr. Emma Etu Odo, commended SEDC for adopting a consultative approach to community development and assured the Commission of the cooperation of the ten Ngbo autonomous communities.

Odo said Ngbo had 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 had 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.

“We want you to reconstruct the new Ngbo road, connecting all the ten autonomous communities in Ngbo. We also want 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 also appealed for the establishment of a standard hospital in a central location accessible to the ten autonomous communities, noting that residents currently depend largely on poorly equipped health centres and often travel to Abakaliki for specialised medical treatment.

“The entire Ngbo does not have a standard hospital. We only have poorly equipped health centres. When we are sick, we travel to the state capital, Abakaliki, for treatment. We want SEDC to build a hospital for us in a central place where all the autonomous communities can access it. We also need intervention in our schools.”

As an agrarian community, Odo said Ngbo also required support for agricultural development, including an organic fertiliser plant, food processing and packaging facilities.

He further appealed to SEDC to expand and modernise Okwo Ngbo Market, which he described as one of the oldest rural markets in the former Eastern Nigeria, to stimulate trade and strengthen the local economy.

The SEDC delegation included Senator Anthony Agbo, Executive Director, Commercial and Industrial Development; Professor Solo Chukwulobelu, Chief Policy Adviser to the Managing Director; Chioma Nzewi, Head, Planning, Research and Statistics; and Dr. Chris Uwadoka, Technical Assistant to the Executive Director, NRARD.

Among the prominent stakeholders at the engagement were the Deputy Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon. Chinedu Onah, and the Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Eze Paul Ituma, alongside traditional rulers, town union executives, clergy and other community leaders.

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