Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has expressed satisfaction with the progress of work on the headquarters of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) in Enugu State, insisting that the commission must operate from the region it was established to serve.
Kalu, who represents Abia North Senatorial District and chairs the Senate Committee on SEDC, spoke on Monday during an oversight visit by members of the committee to inspect the commission’s facilities and assess its operations.
The former Abia State governor said the committee observed significant improvements since its previous engagements with the commission, expressing optimism that the management would sustain the pace of development.
He disclosed that the lawmakers would return to Enugu in December to assess further progress on the headquarters and review the commission’s activities.
“So far, we are making very good progress, unlike when we started. I’m sure you, both me and my colleagues, are seeing very serious progress. I hope that the commission, especially the management team, sustains this progress,” Kalu said.
He urged the commission to extend its activities to communities across the South-East, stressing that residents must see tangible evidence of its presence and interventions.
During the visit, the committee inspected two facilities: the office currently occupied by the commission and another building provided by the Enugu State Government, which is undergoing completion for the commission’s use.
Kalu described the facilities as encouraging signs of progress, noting that the committee was satisfied with the development recorded since its earlier concerns over the commission’s operations from Abuja.
“Where we were before and now, we are making progress. We were quarrelling about our office being in Abuja. Today, we have seen two offices, one where they are staying and the one they are completing, which the government of Enugu State gave them,” he said.
He added that the committee had no objection to the commission’s operations as long as it remained focused on delivering its mandate to the people of the South-East.
However, Kalu reiterated that the commission must not relocate its operational base to Abuja, insisting that its activities should be coordinated from the region it was created to develop.
“The only problem that I said before, and I repeat, is that they cannot operate from Abuja. They must operate from where they are set up. This is where they are located,” he stated.
According to the senator, the establishment of operational offices in Enugu has addressed the committee’s earlier concerns about the commission’s location.
“Our quarrel before was about being in Abuja and not being in Enugu. So that quarrel is over now,” he added.
Kalu also urged the management to ensure that the commission’s work goes beyond establishing offices to delivering development projects and interventions that directly benefit communities across the five South-East states.
While acknowledging that the SEDC was still relatively new, having operated for less than a year, he said the progress observed during the inspection was encouraging.
He maintained that the commission must remain committed to the objectives for which it was established and ensure that its presence is felt at the grassroots.
The Senate Committee is expected to return to Enugu in December for another assessment of the headquarters project and the commission’s overall operations.
