Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, has urged the South East Development Commission (SEDC) to prioritise a regional high-pressure gas pipeline, an inter-state railway network and funding for technology-driven businesses as part of efforts to accelerate industrialisation across the South East.
Mbah said the proposed infrastructure would stimulate economic activities, improve connectivity among the five states and strengthen regional integration, while calling on the National Assembly to provide adequate funding for the commission to deliver on its mandate.
The governor made the call on Monday while receiving the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission, led by its Chairman, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, at the Government House, Enugu. The delegation was accompanied by the SEDC management team led by its Managing Director, Mr Mark Okoye, during an oversight visit to assess the commission’s projects and programmes.
“For us in the South East, this Committee is one of the most important committees of the National Assembly, given the immense development prospects it holds for our people,” Mbah said.
The governor identified a high-pressure gas pipeline linking major cities in the region as a critical investment that could provide industries with reliable energy supplies and attract large-scale manufacturing.
He argued that the South East should benefit from gas resources produced within the wider southern region, noting that pipeline infrastructure already transports gas to other parts of the country.
“If we are able to have a high-pressure gas pipeline across all the major cities in the South East, I know that the SEDC is a veritable platform that can essentially execute a project of that scale,” Mbah said.
He also proposed an inter-state railway network connecting major cities across the five South East states to facilitate trade, improve transportation and ease pressure on the region’s road infrastructure.
Mbah urged the states to collaborate on a common design for the proposed railway system, with the SEDC serving as a coordinating platform for regional planning and implementation.
“We are hoping that, given the coming into effect of the SEDC, we will be able to use it as a platform to bring all the other states together to have a common design on the South East railway line,” he said.
On agriculture, the governor highlighted the commission’s interventions, including the flag-off of a 200-hectare integrated Agro Development Programme at Nomeh Unateze in Enugu State. He assured the SEDC of the state government’s support in creating an enabling environment for the project.
Mbah further urged the commission to establish funding opportunities for young entrepreneurs whose businesses had attained the minimum viable product stage, enabling them to scale up operations, create jobs and contribute to regional economic growth.
He called on members of the Senate committee to support the SEDC in securing the resources required to execute the proposed projects, describing the commission as a potential catalyst for an industrial revolution in the South East.
Earlier, Kalu commended the Mbah administration for its interventions in infrastructure, education, healthcare, water supply and transportation.
The senator cited the development of Smart Green Schools, more than 7,000 classrooms, Type II primary healthcare centres across the state’s 260 electoral wards and Enugu’s multimodal transportation system as examples of the administration’s initiatives.
Kalu also acknowledged Mbah’s efforts to strengthen engagement between the South East and the Federal Government, while expressing appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for facilitating the establishment of the SEDC.
He disclosed that the disagreement 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.
“We wanted to make sure that the commission locates to Enugu State as soon as possible, and this has been a subject of disagreement. But today, I can assure you that the issue is settled,” Kalu said.
He thanked Mbah for supporting the commission’s take-off and assured the governor of the Senate committee’s continued backing for its activities.
