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By Amos Odhe
The first meeting in 2024 of the governors of oil and gas rich South South region, under the auspices of the BRACED Commission, in this current dispensation held on Thursday January 18, 2023 under the leadership of the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, who double as chairman of the commission’s Governing Council.
Director General of the BRACED Commission, Ambassador Joe Keshi, said he has confidence in the governors of the south-south region rejuvenating the BRACED Commission. He is appealing to well-meaning South South indigenes and cooperate bodies not to be deluded over the challenges the commission had faced in recent times, adding that the time for the commission to fly has come now.
Following, the meeting in Benin City, he said that the aspirations of the founding fathers will be brought to fruition now as the governors will converge to proffer enduring solution for the commission to fly to greater height.
Ambassador Keshi said that the meeting is expected to be attended by the governors of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Delta sates along with their commissioners of economic development and planning.
The governors are expected to discuss among other issues the quick revival, strengthen of the long moribund commission and the regions aspiration for collective regional socio economic development cum integration. Vividly, observers of the challenges be-deviling the BRACED Commission most of whom, craved indulgence not to have their names in the media.
Recall that the idea of the BRACE Commission was muted in 2009 during an economic summit held in Calabar Cross River State. The BRACE Commission was set up, created, to drive the regions aspiration for collective regional sustainable economy, strong enough to provide employment and prosperity for the people of the region and one that is globally competitive.
The meeting will also discuss issues pertaining to the security of the region and how to effectively entrench its knowledge sharing and peer review mechanism.
Nevertheless, regional security will be a key note issue during the meeting because recently, South South region have had security challenges such as Fulani herdsmen raping women who went to their farms in the communities, while Fulani herdsmen marauding cows that eat up their farm products. Kidnapping and Armed robbers have since increased unabated in the oil and gas rich region. The eager onlookers and citizens of the oil and gas rich region are happy that something seriously will come out of the meeting.
In his reaction, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, Gov. Diri’s SSA on Tourism has stressed the need for a regional tourism development agenda for cooperation and integration to drive the development of the sector in the region.
Speaking with newsmen in Yenegoa on Tuesday, Dr. Kiyaramo who described regional cooperation and integration as a process by which countries or states come together to coordinate, collaborate and invest in joint ventures in order to strengthen their economies to mitigate shared risks and prevent conflicts with a view to assisting neighbouring states in fragile situation and to preserve common resources.
He maintained that the cooperation and integration among the South-South states of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross river, Edo and Delta would go a long way in helping them to overcome seeming divisions that will rather impede the flow of goods, services, capital people and ideas adding that such political interferences were constraints to economic growth, especially in developing countries.
The BTPDI board chairman, who expressed concerned over the seeming inactivity of the BRACED, said the commission was an initiative of South-South governors in 2009 for joint development of the region.
He regretted that the mission and vision of the commission has remained elusive, as the governors seemingly preferred to go solo in developing their respective states to detriment of regional integration and cooperation.
Meanwhile, he commended the director general BRACED commission, Ambassador Joe Keshi, for his untiring efforts towards actualizing the vision and mission of the regional body in spite of the numerous challenges.
Dr. Kiyaramo expressed hope that with the coming on board of Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki as the next chairman, he may spring surprises in rejuvenating the body with a view of jump-starting the commission to actualize its objective.
He further stressed that BRACED Tourism Promotion and Development initiative, which he is the facilitator is focused on promotion of tourism through organized tours, seminars, symposia, conferences, capacity development training for tourism practitioners and stakeholders using the platform of the South-South Tourism Roundtable discussions and programs as well as identify and honour outstanding tourism promoters in the region with awards of excellence to encourage them.