MONARCHS, leaders, and stakeholders of the South-South have urged the Governors of the six states in the geo-political zone to steer clear of squabble, and self-centered political interests that made the immediate past governors work at cross-purposes in the dispensation that ended May 29 (2015-2023).
They urged the governors of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, the oldest among them, and his Bayelsa counterpart, Senator Douye Diri, to galvanize the four new governors, and ensure cohesiveness for the collective growth of the region.
The new governors are Elder Sheriff Oboreverowi- Delta; Pastor Umo Eno – Akwa-Ibom state; Siminialaye Fubara (Rivers); and Bassey Otu (Cross-River).
The people were unhappy that the former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, was at loggerheads with other governors of the region, including the ex-governors of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Obaseki, and Diri, which adversely hurt the zone.
In addition, the former governor of Cross River state, Senator Ben Ayade, practically forgot about the collective South-South vision, as he distanced himself from other governors of PDP extraction in the zone, making it impossible for them to pursue the BRACED Commission mandate.
BRACED, meaning Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River, Edo, and Delta is the acronym for the development machinery set up by the governors of the six oil states to fast-track integrated development of the region.
Culled from Vanguard Newspaper
