Rt Hon Emeka Atuma


President Tinubu on Friday nominated Hon. Emeka Atuma as Chairman and Hon. Mark C. Okoye as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), subject to their confirmation by the Senate.


This was contained in a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy and Coordinating Adviser, Bayo Onanuga.


The statement further states that President Tinubu also  forwarded to the Senate for confirmation a modified list of members of the inaugural Governing Board of the North West Development Commission, NWDC.


Other members of the SEDC include Hon Ugochukwu H. Agballah, Hon. Okey Ezenwa, Chief Hyacinth Ikpor, Hon. Donatus Eyinnah Nwankpa, Mr  Ifeanyi Agwu Ph.D, Nasiru Usman and Hamma Adama Ali Kumo.


The additional nominees representing other geo-poliitical zones include Edward David Onoja, Orure Kufre Inima and Chief (Mrs.) Joke Adebayo-Chukwuma.


Prince Obinna Obiekweihe, Executive Director (Projects); Sen. Anthony O. Agbo, Executive Director, Finance and Administration; and Dr. Daniel Ikechukwu Ugwuja, Executive Director (Corporate Services), were also nominated.


Dailyledger.ng.com reports that in a list of nominees sent to the Senate late in September 2024, Tinubu nominated Ambassador Haruna Ginsau as chairman of the NWDC board while also naming Senator Tijani Yahaya Kaura and Hon. Abdulkadir Usman as members.


But according to the statement, the new list replaced them with Ja’afar Abubakar Sadeeq and Yahaya Aminu Abdulhadi, while the new chairman is Alh Lawal Samai’la Abdullahi.


Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji retained his position as managing director and chief executive officer.


Other board members featured on the first list includes Dr. Yahaya Umar Namahe, Yahaya Aminu Abdulhadi, and Engr. Muhammad Ali Wudil, Shamsu Sule, Nasidi Ali and Aminu Suleiman.


After receiving the President’s first list of nominations, the Senate adjusted the NWDC’s establishment act to accommodate members from other geo-political zones.


President Tinubu complied with the adjustment in the new list, with the following named to represent the six zones,  Chukwu Chijioke, Ahmed Mohammed, Engr. Ahmed Rufai Timasaniyu and Macdonalds Michael Uyi. Others are Yemi Ola and Hon. Babatunde Dada.


Tinubu reiterates his commitment to regional development and expects the new nominees, as pioneers, to utilise their wealth of experience and expertise to actualize the mandates of the two  Commissions and develop their regions.