South-West states must learn to function as a single economic market if they are to achieve accelerated economic development, as of the days of the old Western region.
They must synergise to design and implement priority interventions in key sectors such as agriculture, ICT, transportation, power, solid minerals and tourism so as to contribute to skills development and job creation especially among youths of the South-West.
Representatives of various interest groups made this call at a Dialogue Session organised by the Majeobaje movement on the theme “Western Nigeria and Sustainable Development: The Regional Integration Imperative”, held in Ibadan.
Lead speakers and participants stressed that regional economic integration will help maximise the multiplier effects of government and private sector investments, increase efficiency, boost industrial capacity (including through import-substitution and backward integration), enable greater coherence in social infrastructure development, and deepen the tax base.
Decrying retrogressive economic development which was impacting adversely on the youth, resulting in increased criminality and drug abuse, various speakers identified the institutionalisation of regional economic integration in the old Western region as a solution to further upheaval.
Among groups that participated in the dialogue were DAWN Commission, Yoruba Council of Elders, Agbekoya Peace Movement, Yoruba Youth Council, Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Oodua Peoples Congress, Yoruba National Assembly, Igangan Development Advocates, Yoruba National Assembly, Karoojire Initiative, Agbeloba Ile Odua, Odua Nationalist Coalition and Odua redemption.
Especially pointing to the historical, cultural and language similarity of the old Western Region, participants at the dialogue urged South West politicians to make accelerated economic development of the geopolitical zone their priority rather than partisan politics alone.
The communiqué issued at the end of the dialogue, signed by Akintayo Akin-Deko, Convenor; Yomi Layinka, Team Leader (Media), particularly urged South Westerners to have an agenda to make southwest states their first choice to live, work and recreate.
In order to leverage the lessons of the past and ensure effective harmonisation and coordination of existing Western Nigeria integration frameworks, policies and strategies, the dialogue urged South-West governors to empower the DAWN Commission to work with their governments and other institutions.
Participants expressed dismay at the flagging commitment of sponsors and stakeholders generally to DAWN.
While acknowledging the yeoman’s job that had been undertaken to date by the DAWN Commission, the dialogue urged greater efforts at urgently reducing the yawning gap between the benchmarked projections of setting up the commission and the reality on ground, after ten years of its existence.
The dialogue wondered why the lethargy of governors towards the DAWN Agenda despite the thoroughness and far-sightedness of the framers of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) in 2011, and its further refinement into the One Bloc Plan in 2016.
Among others, the dialogue noted that the One Bloc Plan anticipated the need for a Western Nigeria Security Network, and disease epidemic control.
Furthermore, the dialogue reiterated that the best way to sustain unity in a culturally diverse polity and society such as Nigeria is to organise the economy based on a true federal system of government.
Speakers added that sustainable development of the economy cannot be effective if power and resources are over-concentrated in the central government.
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How South-West can achieve accelerated economic development ― Yoruba groups
How South-West can achieve accelerated economic development ― Yoruba groups
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