Governors of the South-South states under the auspices of the BRACED (Bayelsa Rivers Akwa-Ibom Cross Rivers Edo and Delta) Commission yesterday met in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
The meeting, which was hosted by Governor Douye Diri, had in attendance the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, the deputy governor of Delta State, Monday Onyeme and his Akwa Ibom counterpart, Senator Akon Eyakenyi.
Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara, sent two representatives to the meeting.
In a communique read by Governor Obaseki, who is chairman of the commission, the South-South states lamented the persistent poor state of electricity in the region.
The commission noted that member-states had made huge investments in the power sector by successive governments of the region and called on the power companies operating in the region to work more closely with the state governments to ensure the operationalization of the new Electricity Act of 2023.
It also called on the Federal Government to embark on a comprehensive review of the power sector, particularly with reference to transmission.
While commending President Bola Tinubu for approving the construction of the coastal road from Lagos to Calabar, the commission called on the Federal Government to expedite work on the East-West road.
It also stressed the need for member-states to develop better regional interconnectivity through road, rail, water and air systems.
It equally condemned the March 14 killing of 17 military officers at Okuama community in Delta State and expressed its condolences to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the military hierarchy and especially to the families of the slain officers while calling on the Federal Government to set up a high-powered commission of inquiry to unearth what transpired in order to avoid such occurrences in future.
The commission commended the Federal Government for establishment of the National Agriculture Fund and look forward to working with the agency to improve the economic development of the region, particularly in the area of agro-entrepreneurship and food sufficiency.
The BRACED commission welcomed the ongoing efforts of member-states to promote financial literacy and skills acquisition among women and youths, in order to promote the growth of small and medium enterprises in the region and directed that the training and ongoing efforts be sustained throughout the region.
It also commended the Bayelsa State government on its cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNDOC) to build a peace architecture to curb crimes and prevent violence in the state and discussed modalities for the expansion of the programme to include other states in the region.
