SEDC needs protection from political extortion, Odinkalu warns

The South East Development Commission (SEDC) will need strong protection from political extortion if it's to succeed, according to human rights lawyer Chidi Anselm Odinkalu.

In a piece published on Monday, Odinkalu argued that the commission — created to rebuild infrastructure and drive economic growth in Nigeria's South East after years of neglect and conflict — could easily be hijacked by politicians looking to line their own pockets.

Odinkalu, a former chairman of Nigeria's National Human Rights Commission, didn't mince words. He said the SEDC must be insulated from "political extortion" or it'll fail like similar agencies before it.

The warning comes as the commission begins its work, tasked with coordinating development projects across the five South East states: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.

"The SEDC will need protection from political extortion," Odinkalu wrote.

He pointed to the history of Nigeria's development commissions, many of which have been plagued by corruption and political manipulation. The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), for example, has faced repeated scandals over missing funds and inflated contracts.

Odinkalu's concern is that without clear rules and independent oversight, the SEDC could become a vehicle for politicians to demand kickbacks from contractors, award contracts to cronies, or divert funds meant for roads, schools, and hospitals.

He also noted that President Bola Tinubu, in his 2024 budget speech, identified human capital development, poverty reduction, and fighting insecurity as top priorities. But Odinkalu said those goals won't be possible if the SEDC isn't protected from the same political pressures that have undermined other agencies.

The commission was established by an act of the National Assembly and signed into law by Tinubu in 2024. It's meant to receive a percentage of Nigeria's Federation Account and coordinate development projects in the region.

But Odinkalu warned that the real test isn't the law itself but how it's implemented. He said the commission's board and management must be appointed based on competence, not political loyalty. And there must be strong anti-corruption mechanisms in place from day one.

Without those safeguards, he argued, the SEDC will end up like the NDDC — a commission that has spent billions of naira over two decades but has little to show for it.

Odinkalu's intervention is significant because he's one of Nigeria's most respected voices on governance and human rights. He has spent years documenting how state institutions are captured by political interests.

For the people of the South East, the stakes are high. The region has suffered from decades of underinvestment, poor infrastructure, and insecurity. The SEDC was supposed to change that.

But Odinkalu's warning is clear: without deliberate protection from political extortion, the commission could become just another disappointment.