Deputy Speaker Lauds S’South Govs On Economic Integration

Deputy Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon. Fini Terah Angaye has described the newly inaugurated economic forum in the south-south geo-political zone of Nigeria as a new initiatives to develop the zone. Chief Angaye therefore commended the governors from the zone for their foresight and commitment to a regional economic cooperation under the newly inaugurated BRACED Commission, and stressed the need for a regional economic development plan that would stimulate industrialization of the region. Hon Angaye, who made the remark while interacting with newsmen in his office at the Assembly Complex Yenagoa,  maintained that three critical areas of power, integrated railway system and that of oil and gas were indispensable factors in achieving rapid socio-economic development in the south-south zone.

While applauding the governors for establishing joint regional Electricity Company, Commodity Exchange Board and an Oil and Gas Company, the lawmaker reiterated that the new business initiative would serve the common interest of the people of the region in creating more investment opportunities for the private sector operators. He expressed confidence in the ability of the pioneer Director-General of the BRACED Commission, Ambassador Joe Keshi, in piloting the affairs of the regional economic forum, and noted that the new regional economic agenda of the south-south governors would fast track the development process in the region, pointing out that the region had suffered many years of marginalisation as a result of neglect by previous administrations in the country.

He called on the south-south states’ commissioners for planning, commerce and industry, economic development, finance, and agriculture, to rise to the occasion and evolve workable economic strategies that would  compliment the efforts of the governors, adding that the south-south governors’ decision to focus attention on human capacity development, education, information and communication technology, infrastructural development, agriculture and investment, would create new jobs for the people of the region.

The deputy speaker stressed the need for the  private sector to play active role in the regional economy, saying that the involvement of the business community in the development efforts of the governors was the sure way to achieving set goals in the new regional economic development agenda, adding that without the full participation of the private sector, the objective of economic integration plan would not make the desired impact on the people of the region, for whom the BRACED Commission was set up.