From Ifeoma Ejiofor Nnewi
Oga Ndi Oga Foundation has hailed the birth of Southeast Development Commission (SEDC) describing it as an interesting development news of the year.
The Founder/CEO of the Foundation High Chief Godwin Agbasimelo during an interactive session with journalists called on President Ahmed Tinubu to distance the Commission from political jobbers.
He stressed the need to channel the Commission to grassroots development in rural and urban areas across the five States of the zone with emphasis on job creation, fixing rural/urban roads, boosting agriculture, providing portable water, good classroom blocks and affordable health care services.
Oga Ndi Oga said that his foundation received the news of the signing of the SEDC bill into law with joy and it is the wish of the Foundation to call on Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure that the Commission is not politicised.
He urged the president to rather use community leaders such as town unions, traditional rulers, women, youth and religious leaders to drive the service of the Commission in other to safeguard it from corrupt and selfish political jobbers.
Chief Agbasimalo noted that former governor of Anambra State and Presidential candidate of the Labour Party(LP) in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi used community leaders and religious leaders to execute projects in Anamabra when he was governor and it worked out very well.
“What I am saying is that everything is not politics and therefore SEDC shouldn’t be politicised, let Mr President hand the commission over to community leaders like town unions, traditional rulers, women, youth and religious leaders.
“The community leaders so engaged should have a mandate to ensure that every kobo or material released for the commission is properly utilised for the purpose it was meant for.
“As governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi applied that method of using community leaders and religious leaders to execute projects and it worked out very well,” he asserted.