Senate Questions SEDC Over N153m Office Rent

Senate Questions SEDC Over N153m Office Rent

The Senate has raised concerns over how the South East Development Commission managed funds from its 2025 budget, placing its Managing Director, Mark Okoye, under scrutiny during an oversight hearing in Abuja.

Lawmakers examined how the commission spent part of the N16.6 billion allocated to it.

The Senate Committee on South East Development Commission, led by Orji Uzor Kalu, questioned several items in the financial records, including claims that N153 million was used to rent a one-room liaison office in Abuja despite the agency’s headquarters being in Enugu.

Senators also pointed to possible unexplained spending running into billions.

Kalu said records reviewed by the committee showed that a large portion of the funds had already been used, leaving about N13 billion in the account, with roughly N3.6 billion requiring proper explanation.

Other committee members backed calls for full transparency and detailed documentation.

Okoye defended the spending, saying the commission only commits funds based on actual cash releases and not budget projections, warning that spending based on paper allocations could create financial gaps.

The committee, however, rejected the explanation and ordered the agency to submit full records of all transactions and contracts before June 23.