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Senate Committee Overseeing The South East Development Commission, SEDC, “You Pay N153m For One Room Office In Abuja”
The Senate Committee overseeing the South East Development Commission, SEDC, has questioned the commission’s leadership regarding its failure to account for over N4 billion expended from its 2025 budget.
This inquiry took place when the Managing Director of the SEDC, Mark Okoye and his team appeared before the committee.
Okoye attended the meeting alongside Sylvester Okonkwo, a former Chief of Staff to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to justify the commission’s financial activities for the year.
According to budget documents, the SEDC was allocated N16.6 billion for its operations in 2025.
Kalu, representing the Abia North Senatorial District, inquired about the remaining balance in the commission’s account and the manner in which the funds had been utilized.
He said, “We will not accept any excuses, regardless of your background. My responsibility is to fulfill my duties, and we, as parliamentarians, must fulfill ours. I do not care how you came to hold this position, but the constitution has entrusted us with a role to ensure you operate within the laws of Nigeria.
“My question is this: you have received N16.6 billion, how much is left in your account?”
In reply, Okoye stated that the commission had between N11.5 billion and N12 billion still available, suggesting that over N4 billion had been allocated to operational expenses.
“Based on the last information provided to me, the SEDC should have around N11.5 to N12 billion in its account,” he asserted.
However, Kalu dismissed this explanation, maintaining that the figure did not correspond with the records accessible to the committee or with data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
He subsequently requested a detailed account of the expenditures.
He added, “In this committee, we have the means to trace where funds have been spent and where they are held. These individuals are not just anybody; they are government officials.
“I have communicated with the Central Bank, and I can retrieve documents from my office right now. We have also dispatched the Auditor General to review your activities, as I am not satisfied.”
Failing to provide a thorough account of the spending, the managing director of the SEDC was instructed to return to the committee the following Tuesday with complete documentation detailing the utilization of the funds.
“We are not pleased with your performance; this is not the standard expected from someone who claims expertise like you do. I am quite disappointed, and this committee shares that sentiment.
“We are giving you one week to return and present the full truth regarding this matter because you are wasting our time. We expect to see you back here next Tuesday,” Mr. Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, stated.
The senator further claimed that documents accessible to the committee indicated that the commission spends N153 million each year for a modest office in Abuja, even though it has its main headquarters located in Enugu.
“You maintain a tiny office here in Abuja and are paying N153 million for a single room. This committee is aware of it.
“You’re engaging with individuals who have progressed further than you believe. This is why I’m cautioning you; let’s not continue this farce here. I want to protect you from a potential issue,” the senator remarked.
The SEDC is among the latest regional development commissions formed by the Bola Tinubu administration to tackle the developmental issues confronting the South-east geopolitical area.
President Tinubu signed the South East Development Commission (Establishment) Bill into law in 2024, and the commission’s board was inaugurated in February 2025, making it less than two years old.
The commission was established to promote infrastructure enhancement, economic advancement, and social progress across the five South-east states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo. Its responsibilities include the reconstruction and restoration of roads, homes, and other infrastructure affected by the Nigerian civil war; addressing ecological and environmental issues; fostering industrial growth; supporting agriculture; attracting investments; and generating job opportunities in the region.
The formation of the SEDC was largely embraced by political figures, civil society organizations, and stakeholders in the South-east, many of whom regarded it as a long-awaited measure to counteract decades of perceived neglect, infrastructure shortcomings, and developmental difficulties in the area.
For a commission still in its early stages and tasked with gaining public trust, a lack of clear documentation regarding expenditures could jeopardize confidence among lawmakers, stakeholders, and residents of the South-east, who anticipate the agency to implement concrete development initiatives.
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POLITICS: Wike-led PDP Faction Takes Over Party Secretariat In Oyo
Members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, have taken over the secretariat of the party in Oyo State.
The secretariat, located in the Molete area of Ibadan, was in the custody of the faction loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde of the state until Thursday when the members loyal to Wike took over the premises.
DAILY POST gathered that the PDP members stormed the secretariat on Thursday and occupied the premises with hundreds of members of the party in attendance.
PDP chairman in the state, Professor Abdulrahman Akinoso, confirmed the development to DAILY POST.
Akinoso in a telephone conversation with DAILY POST on Thursday, insisted that the real owners have taken over the premises.
He said, “It is true. It is not faction. It is PDP. We have taken over the premises. It was in the morning. We were there in the morning. We just left the premises. We are now in control. We have taken over the premises.” .…For more, Complete your reading.
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POLITICS: Foreign Recognition Won’t Secure Re-election – ADC Tells Tinubu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu that foreign recognition will not secure him another term in office, insisting that Nigerians will judge his administration by its performance, not by diplomatic gestures from other world leaders.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party reacted to the Presidency’s celebration of a purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to Tinubu.
The ADC said presenting the letter as an endorsement of Tinubu’s administration was misleading, stressing that diplomatic correspondence between world leaders is a normal part of international relations.
“The Presidency’s attempt to present President Donald Trump’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though it were a referendum on the state of the nation is not correct,” the party said.
According to the ADC, countries cooperate, leaders exchange views and letters regularly, adding that such communication does not amount to an endorsement of a government’s performance.
The party accused the Tinubu administration of being desperate for international validation instead of focusing on solving Nigeria’s challenges.
“It is apparent that this administration is desperate to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home,” the statement said.
The ADC maintained that “a letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people.”
It added that the true measure of any government is not what foreign leaders say about it, but what citizens experience daily.
The opposition party argued that Trump’s letter had not changed the reality facing millions of Nigerians, especially those affected by insecurity.
“For the millions of Nigerians still living with the consequences of this government’s failures, President Trump’s communication changes nothing. It did not say that insecurity has been overcome or that Nigerians can once again travel freely, farm safely and sleep without fear,” the party stated.
The ADC also pointed to the continued captivity of hundreds of women and children in parts of Borno State and Kaiama in Kwara State, while many communities in Benue and other parts of the country still live in constant fear because of insecurity.
The party further noted that, despite the Presidency’s celebration of the letter, the United States Department of State has not changed its travel advisory for Nigeria.
According to the ADC, several Nigerian states remain under Level 3 and Level 4 travel advisories, with American citizens still being urged to reconsider or avoid travel because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest.
“We therefore wonder how correspondence from a government that designates several Nigerian states as ‘Do Not Travel’ areas can be regarded as an endorsement,” the party said.
It argued that the travel advisory shows the international assessment of Nigeria’s security situation remains different from the image the Presidency is trying to project.
The ADC said Nigerians are more concerned about their safety than diplomatic exchanges between presidents.
“The daily reality of Nigerians is shaped not by diplomatic correspondence, but by the guarantee that they can go about their lives without falling victim to violent crime or terrorism,” it said.
The party stressed that Trump’s letter was simply communication between two presidents and “does not amount to an endorsement of this government’s overall performance.”
It urged the Tinubu administration to focus less on celebrating diplomatic courtesies and more on delivering measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether .…For more, Complete your reading.
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