The South East Development Agenda (SEDA) has called for robust legislative oversight, independent monitoring and full transparency in the management of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), following the endorsement of its $200 billion economic transformation blueprint by the Nigerian Senate.
In a statement reacting to the development as reported by Arise TV, SEDA commended the Senate for backing a long-overdue regional development framework for the South East, but stressed that endorsement must be matched with rigorous oversight, institutional safeguards and transparent implementation to prevent systemic failure, elite capture and corruption.
Convener of SEDA, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, warned that the South East cannot afford another intervention agency that falls short of expectations due to weak governance structures, political patronage or opaque financial management.
Call for Comprehensive Oversight
SEDA urged the National Assembly and relevant oversight committees to institutionalise quarterly public budget performance hearings, mandatory project-by-project financial disclosures, annual publication of independent audit reports and real-time tracking of fund releases and utilisation. According to the group, oversight must be continuous, forensic and accessible to citizens, not limited to routine budget defence sessions.
Independent, Non-State Monitoring
The organisation also advocated the establishment of independent, non-state actor monitoring mechanisms, citing the politically affiliated nature of many appointments within the Commission. It proposed the immediate creation of a Civil Society and Professional Bodies Oversight Coalition, a public infrastructure monitoring dashboard and a community-based project verification network across the five South-East states. These structures, SEDA said, should include civil society organisations, professional associations, private sector representatives, youth and women-led groups, as well as the media and investigative journalists.
Open Procurement and Fiscal Transparency
To curb corruption and inflated contracts, SEDA demanded strict compliance with Nigeria’s Public Procurement Act, open competitive bidding, public advertisement of contracts, publication of awarded contractors and sums, and blacklisting of non-performing contractors.
The group further called for monthly publication of allocations and expenditures, public access to project timelines, geotagged project tracking and independent audits by reputable external firms.
Guarding Against Political Patronage
While acknowledging that political appointments are statutory, SEDA cautioned that development institutions must not become extensions of partisan structures. It stressed the need for technocratic competence, merit-based project execution and measurable economic impact.
SEDA concluded that the $200 billion vision would remain aspirational without strong governance systems, institutional independence, citizen participation and results-based implementation.The group urged the Senate to formalise enhanced oversight mechanisms, encouraged the Commission to adopt open governance standards voluntarily, called on civil society and professional bodies to mobilise for structured monitoring, and appealed to South-East state governments to insist on accountability frameworks tied to their financial contributions.
“The people of the South East deserve development that is measurable, accountable and corruption-resistant,” the statement said, adding that history would judge the Commission not by projections, but by integrity and delivery.
