SEDC Bill Will Soon Be Sent To PBAT For Assent -Kalu

The South East Development Commission, SEDC Bill is currently at the Conference Committee stage of both chambers of the National Assembly and will soon be sent to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his approval.

The bill, which aims to address the region’s infrastructure challenges 53 years after the civil war, was advocated by the Peace In South East Project PISE-P ¹.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Okezie Kalu, made the revealation when the Directors of Institute for Peace, Security, and Development Studies (IPSDS) of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Akwa, led by the Co-Chairman, Chief Chikwe Udensi paid him a visit in Abuja.

IPSDS is a specialised Institute established by the Senate and the Council of the University to research into the causes, dimensions, consequences and possible management of conflicts, insecurity, and their consequent effects on development.

He appreciated the Institute for opting to synergize with PISE-P, an initiative birthed by him and other members of the National Assembly from the South East that calls for a non kinetic way of handling the insecurity in the region.

The deputy speaker decried the rate of fatalities arising from incidences of insecurity in the zone, saying that the bill aims at creating jobs and healing the wounds of the past.

Kalu further charged the Institute to evolve practical ways of working to find lasting solutions to the problem of insecurity while also de-radicalizing those carrying weapons in the region.

Earlier in his presentation, the Co-Chairman of the Institute, Chief Udesi said their mission to the House was essentially to collaborate with the deputy speaker in his unwavering commitment towards achieving peace in the south east.

“This board can bring value to the project you’ve initiated which is primarily aimed at ensuring that peace is returned to a large extent in the southeast.

“Peace has no value without progress,
and You can’t achieve progress in any form without peace”.

“Security is very important, developmental activities revolve around it. Without security, not much can be achieved in the human sphere.

“We are here to collaborate with you to ensure that your project is a successful one,” he said.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji