Opinion
By Kingsley Ubani
ON 10th August 2023, something significant happened at Enugu state government house which I believe should be given due acknowledgement and commendation. The South East governors forum held its regular meeting to discuss the challenges facing the region, as well as chart a way forward for the South Eastern states, particularly with respect to the insecurity in some parts of the region, however, this time Our Excellencies all graced the meeting with none sending a representative, leaving positive optics for everyone who witnessed the meeting.
The visibly communicated harmony among the region’s five most powerful individuals, elected and vested with the constitutional powers to drive the development of the region through their efforts in their governed states as well as their collaborative engagement with each other, was not only exciting to see but also hints of positive prospects, more so at this time when the challenges facing the region are myriad.
While I applaud all the Governors for making it to Enugu, I wish to give kudos to the newly appointed Director General of the Forum and Immediate past Senator, Anambra Central Senatorial District, Senator Uche Ekwunife, CON, who I’m sure must have worked tirelessly behind the scene to ensure that the meeting was attended by all the principal actors that make up the forum.
Presenting the forum’s communique, the Chairman, Sen. Hope Uzodimma of Imo State flanked by Prof. Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra), Dr. Alex Otti (Abia), Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi) and the host, Dr. Peter Mba of Enugu, stated that the forum resolved to fight insecurity decisively in the region, individually and collectively, in partnership with the federal government of Nigeria and other stakeholders. He categorically stated that the perpetrators of the insecurity and their sponsors in the region are criminals and should not be seen as legitimate agitators.
The forum also resolved to hold the security and economic summit for the South East region on a date to be announced.
While many of the optics that were missing in some of the past meetings of the forum seemed visible this time, it is expected that the appointment of Ekwunife as DG will enhance the galvanisation of the forum, assist in improving collaboration among the South Eastern states and untimately ensure that the Governors effectively combine arsenal to jointly tackle the social, economic, security and political challenges facing Ndigbo.
***Kingsley Ubani is a Writer, Political Enthusiast and Lecturer of Computer Science*
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– Aug. 17, 2023 @ 16:37 GMT |
Tags: Dr. Alex Otti Dr. Peter Mba Kingsley Ubani Prof. Chukwuma Soludo Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru Sen. Hope Uzodimma Senator Uche Ekwunife
