President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the Managing Director of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), Mark Okoye, on his 40th birthday amid Senate’s probe of the commission’s management of N16.6bn.
Okoye, who turns 40 on June 15, previously served as Managing Director of the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, Special Adviser to the Anambra governor, and later as Commissioner of Economic Planning, Budget, and Development Partners before his appointment to lead the SEDC.
Tinubu, in a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, commended Okoye’s service at the SEDC.
The president hailed Okoye’s “14-year unblemished record in public service” and urged him to sustain his efforts at the helm of the commission.
Quoting Onanuga, “President Tinubu acknowledges Okoye’s dedication, resilience, and passion for service, and encourages him not to relent in his efforts to manage the South-East Development Commission and deliver on its mandate.”
Tinubu described Okoye as part of a crop of innovative young Nigerians in his administration.
He noted that “with Okoye and many other innovative young people in his administration, the nation’s future remains promising.”
The tribute came days after Okoye appeared before the senate committee on the SEDC on June 9 for questioning over SEDC’s financial records.
The committee, chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, flagged N153m reportedly spent on a one-room liaison office in Abuja and N2.5bn listed as “implied expenditure” without adequate explanation.
Kalu said information obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that about N13bn remained in the commission’s account.
“This committee is disappointed with the financial report presented to us. It is completely unacceptable,” Kalu declared.
Other committee members, Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Victor Umeh and Austin Akobundu, also demanded transparency in SEDC’s books.
Okoye, however, maintained that all SEDC’s expenditures were made prudently and in line with financial regulations.
“Having a budget of N140 billion does not automatically mean that N140 billion in cash is available. It would be irresponsible to award contracts worth the entire budget if only N10 billion or N20 billion has actually been released. Doing so would create unfunded liabilities and a significant financial deficit,” he said.
The committee was not persuaded and directed SEDC management to submit detailed financial records, including contract awards, payment schedules, and procurement documents, by June 23.
(The Whistler)
