On Friday the 2nd day of May, 2025, Dr Emeka Wogu NPOM, CON, the Chairman, Governing Board of the South East Development Commission, Nigeria (abbreviated as “SEDC”) delivered the 2nd Dr Michael Iheonukara Okpara Lecture at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (abbreviated “MOUA”) Umuahia, Abia State. The topic of the lecture was “AGRIPRENEUR MODEL FOR ATTAINMENT OF NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: THE M. I. OKPARA APPROACH IN RETROSPECT- LEVERAGING THE SOUTH EAST DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (SEDC) AS A MODERN VEHICLE FOR LEGACY CONTINUITY”. Among other things, the cerebral Charman of SEDC laid bare the vision, mission and roadmap of the SEDC which will be returned to shortly. Suffice it to say that the well- attended public lecture which held at the newly constructed (1000 seater) Modern Public Lecture Theatre of the MOUA, had in attendance a galaxy of personalities which included but not limited to the Abia Sate Governor, His Excellency, Dr Alex Otti represented by Dr Agbaeze, Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources and other representatives of South East State Governors and federal agencies; Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Comrade Fidelis C. Edeh and other Members of the Governing Council of MOUA; Vice Chancellor of MOUA, Prof Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe CFS and his amiable wife Dr Nkechinyere Nkem Iwe; Management, Academic and non-Academic Staff and Students of MOUA; the graceful octogenarian Senator Dr Chris Adighije, Chief Uzodinma Okpara (Omekannaya) Chairman of the Micheal Okpara Foundation; AIG Zone 9, traditional rulers, captains of industry to mention but a few. The highly respected Distinguished Senator Austin Akobundu served as the Chairman of the well organised intellectual harvest.
In his seminal paper, Dr Emeka Wogu joined earlier speakers like the Vice Chancellor of MOUA, Pro-Chancellor of MOUA and the Chairman of the occasion to pay glowing tributes to late DR M. I. Okpara whose tenure as Premier of Eastern Region of Nigeria was adjudged the “finest hour” of Easten Region of Nigeria. The erstwhile Eastern Region comprised of present-day Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Rivers States) which, according to the World Bank, in 1964 had the fastest growing economy in the world by the World Bank, faster than China, Singapore and the “Asian Tigers”. It was common ground amongst the speakers that through his pro-people policies styled “Okparanomics”, humungous successes were recorded in critical sectors like agriculture, commerce, industry, education, health, and security. Needless to overemphasise that the legendary Dr. M. I Okpara played his part well and benefitted the people of then Eastern Region of Nigeria. Leveraging on this indubitable conclusion, Dr Wogu’s paper, while thoroughly examining the life, leadership, legacy of Dr. M. I. Okpara as well as the economic imperatives of his era, drew comparisons with current realities. He undertook a vigorous search and penetrating inquest for the common threads that may have inspired Dr Okpara’s monumental strides and celebrated successes till date. Ultimately, the paper projected these insights and dovetailed them into the opportunities that lie ahead with the South East Development Commission, as a veritable tool to build a new future on the strong foundations of the past. While remaining very grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for the creation of the SEDC, he did not fail to put on record the invaluable support of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, CON whose untiring effort saw to the successful birthing of the South-East Development Commission from conceptualization of the bill to the assent by Mr. President. He also appreciated the efforts of the leaders of the National Assembly, the Governors of the various South East States and the people of the South-East geopolitical zone for their unwavering support in the passage of the SEDC Bill into law.
Specifically, regarding the SEDC, its vision, mission and roadmap which is at the epicenter of this presentation, at page 10 of his 20-page lecture, Dr Emeka Wogu stated in clear terms that the Vision of the SEDC is “TO POSITION THE SOUTH EAST AS THE PREFERRED INVESTMENT DESTUINATION IN AFRICA BY 2035” while the Mission is “TO DRIVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND UNITY OF THE SOUTH EAST THROUGH STRATEDIC INVESTMENTS AND EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVES”. Sounding euphoric on the roadmap of the SEDC, he posited that the SEDC is “the modern vehicle for legacy continuity and improvement of the M. I Okpara development model”. At page 10 of the lecture, the SEDC Chairman outlined the STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES of the SEDC as follows-
1. Collaborate with State Governments, Development Partners, DFIs etc. to achieve a $200 Billion economy by 2035, leveraging key growth sectors such as agriculture, industrialization, creative economy and tourism.
2. Execute transformative, high-impact region-wide projects that catalyze regional economic development, including infrastructure, energy, and technology hubs
3. Enhance the ease of doing business by improving infrastructure, providing regulatory support, and access to finance, making the region a preferred destination for investment.
4. Foster partnerships among South East States to harmonize policies, pool resources, and advance shared goals for economic growth and development.
5. Build a $1billion asset base for the commission by undertaking key phases of project structuring from conceptualization to bankability.
Between pages 13, 14 and 15 of the lecture, Dr Wogu listed the PROPOSED PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS of the SEDC as well as their objectives as follows:
(1) South East Security Intervention Program- the objective is to “Collaborate with State Governments to strengthen security agencies in the fight against insecurity”
(2) South East Agro-Development Program
The Agro-Development Program is aimed at developing about 50,000 hectares of land with the aim of ensuring food security within the region.
(3) South East Regional Economic & Industrial Program
The objective is to Support or create high impact projects in alignment with the State Government’s agenda. These projects will be considered through SEIC where the commission can take a stake (debt/equity) in return for its investment.
(4) Renewed Hope Housing and New Market Development
The objective will entail better planned cities and satellite towns with a view to attracting increased diaspora investments and achieving accelerated growth development.
(5) South East Investment Corporation (SEIC)
SEIC is an entity owned by the commission to develop projects from conceptualization to bankability.
(6) Project Preparation – Feasibility Studies, Outline Business Cases, Geotechnical Studies and Detailed Engineering Designs
The objective is to develop/support/encourage Regional Railway, Anambra-Imo Basin,
Gas Pipelines, Independent Power Projects, Sea/River Port, Major Highways.
(7) South East Venture Capital Fund ($50m)
The VC Fund is targeted at attracting private sector to invest into unique ideas within the region as a method of intentionally developing the start-up ecosystem.
(8) The Renewed Hope Agenda – Community Social Impact Program
The objective is to execute micro projects carefully selected by community stakeholders as community social impact programs.
(9) South East Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Program
The program will provide a structured approach towards vocational education and skill
acquisition. Within the course of the program, youths will be taught the essentials of business development, to train the next generation of wealth creators.
(10) South East Grassroots Recreation Infrastructure Development (SEGRID) Program
SEGRID will focus on reviving the sports ecosystem through the deployment of community stadiums and execution of competitive sports programs.
(11) Talent Development and Leadership
(a) Michael Okpara Fellowship for young leaders (1 year)
(b) SE regional policy hackathon for undergraduates (tournament)
(c) Summer internship for young graduates (8 weeks)
These programs will act as a reorientation for how the next generation of leaders perceive public service. Exceptional talents will be supported to implement their ideas/public policy.
As can be seen from the above elaborate vision, mission and roadmap of the SEDC, the Commission has a lot on its plate for the people of the South East. However, between pages 19 and 20, the paper identified what it termed the challenges and prospects thus-
There is every optimism that the SEDC will deliver on its mandate. This notwithstanding, the following can readily pass as obstacles, millstones or challenges that can stand in the way of attaining the lofty objectives of the SEDC namely: lack of sense of ownership and necessary political will and buy-in of critical stakeholders across all ages and gender- youth and adults. Insecurity and distrust can also militate against the programmes of the SEDC. Absence of Research and Development inputs by tertiary institutions in the South East. However, it is expected that with the avowed open-door policy of the SEDC and its bottom-top projects, programmes and policies, these challenges will be overcome.
This is therefore to vigorously join in appealing for the buy-in of relevant stakeholders which range from the entire people of the South East themselves (men, women, youths, the traditional and religious leaders), Governors of the five South East States, National and State legislators from and outside the South East, captains of industry, tertiary institutions, research and development institute etcetera. Of course, the Federal Government is also not left out as it will be required to provide the needed funds for smooth operation and execution of the projects and programmes of the SEDC. On an optimistic note, it is correct to assert as Dr Wogu did in his paper that, if supported by all and sundry, the SEDC can metamorphose into “a modern reincarnation of the M.I. Okpara development models… with Technology and AI, it promises to be an improved and better version.” For the records and out of abundant caution, the Board Members and Executive Management of the SEDC are- Dr. Emeka Wogu (Chairman), Hon. Mark C. Okoye (MD/CEO), Sylvester Okonkwo (Executive Director, Corporate Services), Rt. Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka (Executive Director, Finance), Hon. Toby Okechukwu (Executive Director, Projects), Sen. Anthony Agbo (Executive Director, Commercial and Industrial Development), Dr. Clifford Ogbede (Executive Director, Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Rural Development), Ugochukwu H. Agballah (Member), Hon. Okey Ezenwa (Member), Hyacinth Ikpor (Member), Chidi Echeazu (Member), Dr Ifeanyi Agwu (Member), Nasiru Usman (Member), Hamma Adama Ali Kumo (Member), Edward David Onoja (Member), Orure Kufre Inima (Member), Daniel Akwari (Member), and Joke Adebayo-Chukwuma (Member).
There is a compelling need to use the SEDC as a vehicle for the rapid development of the South East geopolitical Zone. May the SEDC succeed.
A new normal is possible!
Prof Obiaraeri, N. O.
