Susan Abayomi
Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has urged the South East Development Commission (SEDC) to prioritise the construction of a regional gas pipeline, an inter-state railway network and initiatives aimed at accelerating industrialisation across the South East.
Mbah said the proposed projects would stimulate economic activities, improve connectivity among the five South East states and strengthen regional integration.
The governor made the call when he received the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission, led by its chairman, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, during a courtesy visit to Enugu. The delegation was accompanied by the commission’s management team, led by its Managing Director, Mark Okoye, as part of an oversight visit to assess its projects and programmes.
Describing the committee as important to the region’s development, Mbah called on the National Assembly to provide adequate funding to enable the commission to deliver on its mandate.
He identified a high-pressure gas pipeline linking major cities across the South East as a priority project that could provide industries with reliable energy and support large-scale industrial development.
According to the governor, the region should benefit from gas resources produced in the wider southern part of Nigeria, particularly through the development of infrastructure that would facilitate access to gas for industrial use.
Mbah expressed confidence that the SEDC could serve as a platform for coordinating and executing a project of such magnitude, adding that improved gas access would help position the region for greater industrial growth.
The governor also proposed an inter-state railway network connecting major cities across the five South East states to facilitate trade, ease transportation challenges and reduce pressure on existing roads.
He urged the states to collaborate on a common design for the proposed railway system, noting that the SEDC could provide the framework for regional cooperation and coordination.
Beyond transportation and energy infrastructure, Mbah highlighted the commission’s potential role in strengthening agriculture and supporting technology-driven businesses.
He cited the flag-off of a 200-hectare integrated Agro Development Programme at Nomeh Unateze in Enugu State as one of the commission’s agricultural interventions, assuring the SEDC of the state government’s support in creating an enabling environment for the project.
The governor also called for funding opportunities for young entrepreneurs whose businesses had attained the minimum viable product stage, explaining that access to capital would help them expand their operations, create jobs and contribute to economic development.
He urged the senators to support efforts to secure the resources required by the commission to implement these projects, describing the proposed interventions as potential drivers of an industrial revolution in the South East.
Earlier, Kalu commended the Mbah administration’s interventions in infrastructure, education, healthcare, water supply and transportation.
The senator highlighted the development of Smart Green Schools, the provision of more than 7,000 classrooms, the establishment of Type II primary healthcare centres across the state’s 260 electoral wards and investments in a multimodal transportation system.
Kalu also acknowledged Mbah’s efforts to strengthen relations between the South East and the Federal Government, while appreciating President Bola Tinubu for facilitating the establishment of the SEDC.
He disclosed that disagreements over the location of the commission’s headquarters had been resolved following the Enugu State government’s provision of temporary office accommodation and a site for its permanent headquarters.
According to Kalu, the resolution would enable the commission to commence operations in Enugu, while he thanked the governor for the support provided towards its take-off.
He assured Mbah that the Senate committee would continue to support the commission’s activities as it works towards addressing the development needs of the South East.
