Governor Mbah Pushes For A Common South East Market

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, says the South East must be reimagined and built into a common market and economic block in order to realise its potential as an economic power house.

Mbah emphasised that the South East could no longer afford to operate as five parallel states, commending President Bola Tinubu for the establishment of the South East Development Commission, SEDC, a clear demonstration of an understanding that regional development does not occur in isolation.

Mbah made the case on Wednesday as the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, officially declared open the South East Vision 2025 (SEV2025) Regional Stakeholder Forum organised by the SEDCat the International Conference Centre, ICC, Enugu.

“I am here to invite you to a bold re-imagining of the South East as a single economic bloc. For too long, we have looked at our five states as individual islands, but the era of the solitary path is over.

“By fusing our five distinct economies into one powerhouse, we are no longer just negotiating for a seat at the table; we are building the table ourselves.

“This is more than a policy shift; it is the awakening of an economic giant, transforming the South East into a single, seamless theatre of enterprise where our shared heritage fuels our collective prosperity,” he stated.

Mbah reminded the audience that the rules of prosperity were changing globally into a new era where those who could organise themselves, integrate their markets, and build systems at scale would rise, while those who cannot, would remain consumers of other people’s added value.

He, therefore, described the South East Vision 2050 as an instrument to help the South East to solve problems that no single state can solve alone.

He, however, said the development plan must be matched by immediate action, starting with a region-wide feasibility and project preparation phase to be jointly funded and governed.

“Second, we must begin with logistics and connectivity, because economies do not integrate on paper, they integrate through movement.

“These are not prestige projects. They are productivity infrastructure, and they must be planned and contracted as regional assets, not state trophies.

“Third, security must be treated as regional infrastructure. Criminal networks do not respect state boundaries, and neither should our response.

“We must commit to enhanced cross regional security coordination, shared intelligence, interoperable communication, and a centralised information and response hub that allows state security architectures and federal agencies to act as one system.

“Fourth, we must align the rules of engagement, investment processes, regulatory expectations, and dispute resolution, so that the South East presents a coherent face to capital, enterprise, and its own citizens.

He noted that it was regrettable that a region where identity was common, and where markets connected producers and buyers across distances, and where cooperation was understood as logic, and life worked by collaboration still suffers fragmentation.

“That fragmentation is no longer a historical footnote. It has become a present-day constraint. The world we are operating in now is unforgiving of disconnection and lack of unity. The global economy does not reward isolated effort.

“It rewards regions that can act as systems, regions that can coordinate infrastructure, align skills with industry, move goods efficiently, mobilise capital at scale, and present a clear, credible proposition to investors and their own people,” he explained.

What it has lacked, until now, is a shared system strong enough to hold those strengths together.

Vision 2050 is our chance to build that system as a framework for action, not for someday, but starting now.

“In this regard, I must recognise the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under whose watch Nigeria is witnessing a renewed emphasis on structural reform and regional balance.

“The President’s approach provides the policy space and institutional backing for the South East to plan long-term, invest smartly, and integrate effectively into national growth priorities,” Mbah concluded.

Meanwhile, VP Shettima, while declaring open the forum, said the South East Vision 2050 was a major break from previous short-term approaches, that had not delivered the required results.

He reaffirmed that the SEDC was conceived to focus on structural transformation rather than routine administrative activity, insisting that Nigeria is strongest when its regions thrive.

“Let me be clear. This is not another layer of bureaucracy. It is a delivery institution, focused on tangible outcomes that translate into jobs, productivity, and growth,” he stated, noting that the South-East carries a unique historical burden, which makes deliberate regional planning both urgent and necessary.

The Vice President further announced that President Tinubu had also approved the establishment of the South East Investment Company Limited, designed to mobilise resources from the diaspora, capital markets, and development finance institutions for the region’s development.

Shettima said the company would work in synergy with the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) to address postwar infrastructure gaps and drive long-term regional competitiveness.

The event equally attended by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State and Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, while Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State was represented.

Equally in attendance were ministers, members of the international development agencies, captains of industry, and heads federal and state agencies, among a host of others.