By Henry Ojelu

A member of the House of Representative , representing Ezeagu/Udu Federal Constituency, Enugu State, Sunday Cyriacus Umeha has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to ensure a timely assent to the South East Development Commission bill already passed by the National Assembly.

Umeha in a statement by his media aide, Raymond Nkannebe, said the timely assent of the bill by the President when transmitted to him, will bring about the much needed development in the South East region.

Commending the Senate Godswill Akpabio’s led National Assembly for passing the bill, Umeha traced the chequered history of advocacy and clamor for the Commission which dates back to the 8th National Assembly and described it as a timely legislation which would go a long way in assuaging the feelings of neglect and marginalization by the Igbo.

He said: “The passage of the SEDC Bill is another evidence that the 10th National Assembly is a people-oriented legislature with the concerns of the ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria at heart.

“It had always been my advocacy that an establishment of a South East Development Commission will represent the first significant milestone of the Nigerian government to heal the wounds of the Civil War which are still evident in the South Eastern region through a peculiar case of infrastructural deficit and manifesting itself through widely held secessionist sentiments in the region.

” I am confident that when the Commission comes on-stream, it would be a veritable vehicle for the much-needed investment in human, social and physical infrastructure in the region.

“I hope that President Bola Tinubu would show uncommon leadership by granting immediate assent to the Bill unlike what happened in the past administration.”

Umeha further congratulated all lawmakers of the South Eastern region from the two Houses, on the historical milestone, particularly the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Okezie Kalu who sponsored the Bill, describing him as a true Igbo Son and Patriot.