Governors of the six South-South states, also known as BRACED states – Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Edo & Delta – on Thursday met in Edo State in an effort to reposition the BRACED Commission.
The Governors: Sir Siminalayi Fubara, Rivers; Pst. Umo Eno, Akwa-Ibom; Sen. Douye Diri, Bayelsa; and Delta Governor, represented by the deputy, Chief Monday Onyeme, announced the decision as part of a 16-point communique at the end of the meeting hosted by Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Obaseki, who emerged the newly elected Chairman of the Commission presented the communique, noting that the governors of the six South-South states were poised to reposition the Commission after a long period of inactivity.
He stressed that the original goal of the commission was to promote regional socioeconomic development and integration that would be mutually beneficial to the states, saying they were determined to sustain the vision.
According to him, governors of the BRACED states emphasised that there was urgent need for a review of the Nigeria constitution such that more powers, resources and responsibilities were devolved to the states for faster economic growth and development, security and peaceful coexistence.
They assured that the council has an obligation to properly position and strengthen the Commission to enable it to accomplish the region’s desire to foster economic cooperation and integration among states of the South-South, noting that the region, its people and country would be the ultimate beneficiaries.
The communique stressed that the challenges of the Commission were surmountable and asked member states to join hands in addressing the problems as quickly as possible to enable the region restart and accelerate its journey towards economic cooperation and integration.
The governors further resolved “to foster regional economic cooperation and integration with a view to achieving sustainable development through the creation of a strong regional economy for the collective benefit of the people of the South-South.
“Establish and inaugurate the BRACED Business Council in order to forge closer partnership with the Council to improve the business climate and attract investors and businesses into the region.
“To collectively engage the federal government on the development of key infrastructure in the region, particularly roads, rail development (fast train from Lagos to Calabar), the decentralization and rehabilitation of the seaports in the region as well as the management of security in the country.
“To direct the Commissioners of Environment and Attorney-Generals of the States to meet and collectively examine the feasibility of a regional environmental law and environmental blue carbon partnership for the protection of the mangroves forest ecosystems of the South-South. And to work with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the benefit of the region.”
In a brief report, the Director General of the Commission, Amb. Joe Keshi, noted that since inception, the rationale behind the establishment in 2011 has been to improve agriculture, education, environment, power, security and utilisation of sports to empower youths of the region. He however, highlighted some challenges of the commission and urged the commission to take prompt actions to address the various issues affecting it.
(L-R) Sir Monday Onyeme, Deputy Governor Delta State, Pst Umo Eno, Akwa-Ibom, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, Edo, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, Rivers, Sen. Douye Diri, Bayelsa & Amb. Joe Keshi, DG, BRACED at the meeting in Edo on Thursday.
. TheWitness
