The five governors of the South East states , Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo , have agreed to contribute N5 billion each to the N140 billion allocated to the South East Development Commission (SEDC) for the 2026 fiscal year.

The disclosure was made on Wednesday by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission, Senator Orji Kalu (Abia North), during the submission of the commission’s 2026 budget report to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

According to Senator Kalu, the additional funding from the South East governors was agreed upon to ensure impactful, development-driven project execution across the five states in 2026.

“The Commission received hardly any funding in the 2025 fiscal year. Consequently, several projects and strategic initiatives were suspended and remain pending.

“The 2026 proposal is therefore intended to cover both fresh appropriations and critical interventions needed to reactivate stalled projects and restore developmental momentum across the region.

“In view of this, as Chairman of the committee, and having held deliberations with the governors and major stakeholders in the South East, I respectfully request that the committee consider an additional N5 billion allocation to each of the five states , amounting to N25 billion ,to augment the N140 billion.

“This additional provision will enable the SEDC to accelerate development in the region, particularly in the health and education sectors, in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.

In his remarks, Senator Tahir Monguno, who represented the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Solomon Adeola, in receiving the report, commended the initiative and expressed hope that governors in other regions would emulate their South East counterparts.

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