Chairman of the Board of Trustees, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Chief Chekwas Okorie, has praised President Bola Tinubu for signing the South East Development Commission (SEDC) Bill into law, calling it a brave move to mend the scars of the civil war and give the people of the South East geopolitical zone a newfound sense of belonging.

In a statement released on Thursday, Okorie said that the law carries on a 50-year-old pledge to remedy the region's infrastructure and developmental deficiencies brought on by the war between Nigeria and Biafra.

He conveyed the optimism that the commission will be able to accomplish its goals with real and ethical funding.

After more than 50 years of waiting, Okorie asked the people of the South East to work with the Federal Government to ensure the commission's success, arguing that it is better late than never.

Recall that Hon. Chukwuka Onyema was the original sponsor of the SEDC Bill in 2017, but it was not able to pass second reading. But in 2024, the bill was revived and given further scope by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu.

Better lobbying and a more amiable House of Representatives helped the bill prevail, and the Senate swiftly granted its concurrent consent. Following his assent to the bill, President Tinubu made it possible for the SEDC to be established.

The main goal of the commission is to solve the South East region's developmental and infrastructure shortcomings, which have persisted since the conclusion of the civil war in 1970. Over the course of around 50 years, the federal government has demonstrated its dedication to fulfilling its pledge of Reconciliation, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction (3R) in the area devastated by conflict.