Unique meeting of southeast governors in Enugu

It was a unique gathering of Southeast Governors in Enugu as the chief executives attended their meeting in person, the first in five years.

More than half of the five-member body took to Twitter to corroborate what they discussed behind closed doors.

In attendance were the governors of Abia (Alex Otti), Anambra (Chukwuma Soludo), Ebonyi (Francis Nwifuru), host State Enugu (Peter Mbah) and Imo (Hope Uzodimma).

The meeting marks a rapprochement of sorts that observers say will help them secure the region and pursue integration projects as other regions are doing.

Host Governor Mbah took to Twitter afterwards to outline the range of discussions held at the Lion Building, the Enugu Government seat of power.

“We discussed … ways of forging a common socio-economic and security cooperation through a summit that would be announced soon.

“On the issue of insecurity, we resolved to fight this menace individually and collectively, and in partnership with the Federal Government. We have declared that perpetrators and their sponsors in the South East are mere criminals who should not be dignified as legitimate agitators but dealt with in line with the provisions of the law.

“We will continue to do everything within our power to sustain the increasing peace and security presently enjoyed in the five South Eastern States.”

It was for peace in Southeast, says Uzodimma

Chair of the Southeast Governors Forum, Sen Hope Uzodimma, corroborated the outline matters in a series of tweets on the event. According to him:

“We have continued to foster peace and tranquility across our region with a view to enabling the environment for commerce, trade, investments and safety of lives and properties.

“Our resolution centered on the collective fight against insecurity in our region and in partnership with the Federal Government.

“It is worthy of note, that we have considered and approved the South East Security Summit which is aimed at the restoration of confidence in our people, prospective investors and strengthening of our economic activities.”

On his part, Gov Otti of Abia said in another Tweet that the meeting focused on “rising security concerns within our region and the adverse impact of the unlawful sit-at-home orders on our economic growth.”

“It has become a matter of utmost importance for the South East Governors to pursue a lasting solution to this pressing challenge.

“We understand the concerns and frustrations of our citizens, and we are determined to address them effectively.

“We also recognized the importance of addressing the root causes of insecurity, such as unemployment and poverty, through job creation and economic empowerment programs.

All the governors on Twitter expressed appreciation for federal contributions to the effort to secure the region and begged for cooperation from the people.

Three new members join

Yesterday’s meeting is the second gathering of the southeast governors, but the first in their Enugu Secretariat.

The governors held their first meeting in Abuja at the Imo Governor’s Lodge, to elect Mr. Uzodimma as new Chairman. The Imo Governor is the oldest member, following the departure of former governors of Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu on 29 May 2023.