From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan

The official think-tank for South East of Nigeria, South-East Governors’ Forum (SEGF), and its counterpart in the South West, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission,  have gone into partnership for strategic development of the regions.

The deal was struck between a team of SEGF Secretariat led by the Director-General of the Secretariat, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, and the team of the DAWN Commission, led by the Acting Director General of the commission, Mr. Seye Oyeleye, at the 10th Floor of Cocoa House,  Ibadan, the headquarters of the commission on Monday this week.

Oyeleye and Ortuanya made the partnership known on Tuesday during an encounter with journalists in Ibadan. He said SEGF came to Ibadan with a view to establishing networks and relationships with DAWN Commission as well as become conversant with the processes and procedures for running a regional organisation.

The deal also featured presentation of ‘One Bloc Document’ and other publications by the DAWN Commission to Ortuanya, after the meeting with representatives of the SGEF Secretariat.

Oyeleye described the interaction with the SEGF Secretariat as very enriching, saying “We were able to share ideas. Also, they too were able to see that what we are doing here, there is no magic to it.

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“For any part of Nigeria that desires to see a fast-tracked development, this is the way to go. We need to move away from  a situation whereby some states solely rely on federal allocations before they can even pay basic salaries.”

Ortuanya also said what essentially propelled “our coming here is that we feel that the South East Governors’ Forum Secretariat has something to learn from DAWN Commission. We have something to learn because the mandate of DAWN Commission and that of SEGF Secretariat share a lot in common, essentially  regional integration, economic development of the regions and so on.”

He stated further that SEGF Secretariat “is barely one month old, but the DAWN Commission has been existing for four years. So, we feel we should have this interaction  with DAWN Commission with a view to leveraging on what they have done.

“We know that what is driving the society now is economic empowerment. We feel that is important that if there is economic empowerment of the South East zone, of course, it will also have larger effect on the economy of Nigeria as a nation. So, the need to jump-start economic growth and infrastructural development of our zone,  is the essential reason for the SEGF Secretariat.

“What is happening in DAWN Commission is essentially the kind of things we want,” adding that “We are working assiduously in the South East towards focusing our people for greater development, economic development, social development and cultural development of our people.”