The governors of the states of the South-South will on Thursday, 18 January 2024, converge on Benin City, the Edo State capital, for a meeting of the Governors’ Council of the BRACED Commission.
The BRACED Commission, comprising the six states of the South-South – Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta – was established in 2010 under Article 14 of the BRACED Agreement and signed on June 13, 2011. Its objective is to promote economic cooperation and regional integration among the six states, contributing to the increasing standards of living of the people of the region.
The Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, said in a statement that the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, as Chairman of the BRACED Commission Governors’ Council, will host the meeting which will be attended by the governors of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Delta States.
“The six governors of the South-South region will be meeting in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, on Thursday 18th January 2023 under the auspices of the BRACED Commission,” Nehikhare noted.
“As the chairman of the BRACED Commission Governors’ Council, the Edo State Governor, His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, will host his colleagues: the governors of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Delta states alongside their commissioners of Budget and Planning,” he said.
The meeting, which is the first meeting of the South-South governors in 2024, will focus on how to revive and strengthen the BRACED Commission and the region’s aspiration for collective economic development and integration, the Commissioner said.
“Issues that will be deliberated at are issues relating to the security of lives and property of the region and how to effectively embed its knowledge sharing and peer review mechanism. At the end of the meeting a communique will be issued,” he said.
