By Ugochukwu Alaribe

UMUAHIA — The Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU) has urged the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) to establish a stronger presence in communities across the five states of the region by partnering with town unions to drive grassroots development.

The association said the commission should initiate practical development programmes in rural communities rather than limiting its activities to its administrative offices in Abuja and Enugu.

ASITU National President, Chief Emeka Diwe, made the call in an interview with journalists in Aba, Abia State.

Diwe said town unions had established leadership structures and grassroots networks that could help the SEDC identify community needs and ensure that development programmes reached the intended beneficiaries.

He lamented that some government agencies established to promote development often operated mainly from their headquarters, producing policies and programmes that did not adequately address the needs of local communities.

He urged the Federal and state governments to strengthen partnerships with town unions, which he described as central to community development in Igboland.

According to him, town unions have contributed to the establishment of schools, hospitals and churches, as well as the provision of scholarships and training opportunities for artisans and graduates.

“The SEDC does not need to be reminded that the town unions are the heart and survival of the Igbo man. Even after the Nigerian Civil War, it was through town unions that war victims got reliefs.

“Town unions gave them hope, giving business loans, granting scholarships on education and skill acquisition, building schools, hospitals, churches, etc. It is only through the town union structure that relevant government programmes and policies could be marketed and communicated to the people and interpreted in the language they will understand,” he said.

Diwe maintained that partnerships between government agencies and town unions were essential to achieving sustainable grassroots development.

“There would have been no grassroots development in Igbo communities without government-town union partnership. This is why the SEDC must not be used for politics.

“The South-East is crying for development, and the SEDC can’t afford to fail. Therefore, the SEDC needs to partner the town unions if it is really interested in achieving the objective of development which is the reason for its establishment,” he said.

He urged the commission to adopt a focused and community-driven approach, warning that development agencies risk falling short of their objectives when they fail to engage the people they are established to serve.

Citing the role of town unions in supporting people who lost their livelihoods during the Civil War, Diwe said community-based assistance had helped some beneficiaries rebuild their lives and businesses.

He described town unions as a traditional grassroots governance structure rooted in collective responsibility and mutual support.

“The town union is the structure in Igbo land that is deeply rooted in being your ‘brother’s keeper’. When you talk about being your brother’s keeper, you are talking of development beyond self. It’s the hallmark of the Igbo society.

“This philosophy gave rise to what we call town union. The SEDC should not fail to engage this important agent of grassroots development,” he said.