The Managing Director of the South East Development Commission, SEDC, Mark Okoye, has said growing acceptance of the Commission’s initiatives has sparked what he described as a new patriotism in Nigeria’s South-East region, long troubled by separatist agitations linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

Okoye made the remarks during the presentation of the Commission’s proposed ₦140 billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year before the Senate committee.

He said the atmosphere at a recent stakeholders’ engagement reflected renewed unity and shifting sentiments across different segments of the region.

Defending the proposal, Okoye explained that the ₦140 billion figure aligns with the 2026 budget circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which capped the Commission’s spending at its initial take-off allocation due to limited releases in the previous fiscal year.

He disclosed that 78 per cent (₦108 billion) of the proposed budget is earmarked for capital projects, 17 per cent (₦23.7 billion) for overhead costs, and about 5 per cent (₦7.3 billion) for personnel expenses.

However, members of the Senate committee reportedly frowned at what they described as substantial allocations to consultancy, workshops and security-related expenditures, urging the Commission to prioritise infrastructure and tangible development projects.

The Chairman of the committee, Orji Uzor Kalu, called on the Commission’s leadership to work in synergy, stressing that the people of the South-East are in urgent need of impactful interventions.