Soludo Calls for Marshall Plan as SEDC Vision 2050 Begins

Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has called for a Marshall Plan–scale reconstruction of the South East, declaring that the newly established South East Development Commission (SEDC) must deliver tangible infrastructure, security, and economic transformation rather than produce another shelved policy document.

Soludo spoke extemporaneously on Wednesday at the South East Vision 2050 Stakeholders Forum, organised by the SEDC at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu.

The governor described the forum as a historic turning point for the region, noting that previous regional planning efforts collapsed due to political disunity.

“Today is history in the making,” Soludo said. “The governors are united with a common vision that we must sing a new song.”

He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the SEDC decades after the civil war.

“He can be aptly described as ‘Ogugua Ndi Igbo’ for finally giving us what we have clamoured for over decades,” he said.

Soludo recalled chairing a 121-member Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo planning committee years earlier, only for the initiative to stall.

“The South East governors could not even meet for us to present what we produced,” he said.

According to him, the unity displayed at the Enugu forum marked a clear break from the past.

Soludo Questions Value of Past Development Plans

Soludo cautioned that Vision 2050 must not become another aspirational document detached from implementation.

“There have been many plans,” he said, citing the National Development Plan 2021–2025 and Renewed Hope Development Plan 2026–2030.

He disclosed that Anambra State had developed a 50-year Vision 2070 roadmap under his leadership.

“So the question is: what will be the value of this regional plan? What is new?” Soludo asked.

He argued that most plans fail because they ignore political realities.

“Technocrats often mistakenly believe that you can take politics out of policy,” he said.

According to Soludo, regional plans rarely influence annual budgets at state or federal levels.

“I don’t know any governor that bases his budget on a regional plan,” he said.

He urged the SEDC to adopt an indicative rather than prescriptive framework.

“Let the plan focus on de-risking investments in shared regional public growth,” he said.

Soludo advised that at least 70% of the plan should focus strictly on what the SEDC can deliver.

“Avoid micro interventions like boreholes, one-kilometre roads, and scattered projects,” he warned.

He said success should be measured by visible impact, not document volume.

Call for a South East “Marshall Plan”

Soludo described the South East as operating in a post-war reconstruction phase, citing the unfulfilled promises of post-civil-war rehabilitation and the economic damage caused by insecurity since 2021.

“The South East has gone through two wars,” he said. “One external and one internal.”

He argued that the SEDC must function as a regional reconstruction engine.

“SEDC must see itself as the instrument for executing a Marshall Plan for the South East,” he said.

Soludo explained that the original Marshall Plan rebuilt Europe between 1948 and 1951 with funding equivalent to over $100 billion in today’s value.

“This plan must be Nigeria’s Marshall Plan for the South East,” he said.

He proposed three priority pillars.

First, a regional security architecture.

“We need command-and-control centres and advanced surveillance technology to reclaim our forests,” he said, noting that Onitsha Main Market reopening signalled progress.

Second, super inter-state infrastructure.

“Regional railways, highways, gas pipelines, and ports must connect our cities,” Soludo said.

He revealed that President Tinubu approved the inclusion of the South East in the national rail and gas master plan during a visit to Anambra on May 8, 2025.

Third, institutional coordination among the five states.

“We need collaboration, peer learning, and group action,” he said.

Soludo stressed that financing would largely come from the Federal Government and private sector.

“This must be a focused, time-bound programme,” he said.

He warned against producing lengthy documents without delivery.

“Don’t give us a 500-page plan,” Soludo said. “Give us rail lines, gas pipelines, highways, and security.”

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