The governors, who met in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on the platform of the South-South, South-East Governors’ Forum, said that the demand was necessary now that there was a national consensus on the issues.
Nyesom Wike, Rivers State governor, said: “As we go into the business of this meeting, let us be confident in the rightness of our course and clear in our considerations that we have been and would continue to be worse off without the will to exploit our political and economic complementarities to drive our ways into political, economic and social prosperity.
“Above all, we must continue to demand for the devolution of powers and resources to the states as well as the institutionalisation of state police, now that there is national consensus on these issues.
“From geo-strategic economic perspective therefore, there is an urgent need to establish and link our cities with railways and super highways; to provide viable and affordable flight services between our cities, and to ensure that cargoes are brought into the country and the regions through our seaports, jetties and ferry services as a veritable means of stimulating economic growth and social progress across our two regions.
“Also, we are all aware that economic growth and social progress are possible only in a peaceful and secure environment. And much as we try to tackle this menace in our respective states by providing the necessary logistic support to the security agencies, perceptions of insecurity are on the rise, doing significant damage to our investment climate thereby preventing reasonable inflow of direct foreign and local investment into the regions,” Wike, who is the host of the meeting, said.
Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom State Governor, who is also chairman of the Forum, urged the governors of the two regions to form a common front for socio-economic development, describing the meeting as a new beginning for the two geopolitical zones for the good of her people.
He noted that the governors had set aside impediments to chart a new direction, even as he charged the two regions to work together for prosperity, adding that “Federal presence in the region is minimal and only seen in the presence of policemen.”
Emmanuel called for the development of an industrial framework that would enhance development and maintained that the regions were better of united than divided, pleading with Nigerians to continue to strive for the unity of the country.
Those who attended the meeting are Governors Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State; Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
Others are Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah, acting governor of Bayelsa State, Nkem Okeke, deputy governor of Anambra; Philip Shaibu, Edo State deputy governor; and Prof. Ivara Esu, deputy governor of Cross River State.
– Aug 28, 2017 @ 8:37 GMT
