•Senator Orji Uzor Kalu
The five governors of the South-East states have collectively committed an additional N25 billion to support the N140 billion proposed allocation to the South East Development Commission (SEDC) in the 2026 fiscal year, in a move aimed at accelerating development projects across the region.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission, Orji Uzor Kalu, disclosed this today while presenting the committee’s report on the Commission’s 2026 budget to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, reports Daily Independent.
The governors of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states, he said, have agreed to contribute N5 billion each to augment the Commission’s proposed N140 billion allocation for the year.
According to Kalu, the decision followed extensive consultations with governors and other key stakeholders in the region, and was driven by the need to ensure impactful and development-oriented project execution in 2026.
He noted that the Commission experienced significant funding shortfalls in the 2025 fiscal year, which stalled several projects and strategic initiatives.
“The Commission received hardly any funding in the 2025 fiscal year. Consequently, several projects and strategic initiatives were suspended and remain pending,” he said.
He explained that the 2026 budget proposal is designed not only as a fresh appropriation but also as an intervention framework to revive dormant projects and restore developmental momentum in the South-East.
“In view of this, as chairman of the committee, and following deliberations with the governors and major stakeholders in the Southeast region, I respectfully request that the committee consider an additional N5 billion allocation to each of the five states, amounting to N25 billion, to augment the N140 billion already proposed,” Kalu stated.
He added that the supplementary funding would enable the SEDC to fast-track critical projects in key sectors such as health and education, in alignment with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Receiving the report on behalf of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Tahir Monguno commended the initiative and described the governors’ commitment as a model of regional cooperation.
Monguno, who represented the Appropriations Committee Chairman, Solomon Adeola, expressed hope that governors in other geopolitical zones would emulate the South-East governors by complementing federal allocations with local funding to accelerate development in their regions.
The South East Development Commission was established to coordinate and drive infrastructural and socio-economic development across the five South-East states, many of which have long demanded structured federal intervention to address infrastructural deficits and promote regional integration.
With the proposed N165 billion combined funding envelope for 2026, expectations are high that the Commission will scale up project implementation and deliver tangible outcomes across the zone.
