Dapo Abiodun: We’re considering creation of southern development agency for economic integration

Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun, says the southern governor’s forum is considering the creation of a development agency for the economic integration of the region.

Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Monday, Abiodun, who is also the chairman of the forum, said there is a need to harness the comparative advantages of each state in the southern region of the country.

Earlier on Monday, the southern governors’ forum met in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, to discuss many issues affecting the growth and development of the region.

During the meeting, Abiodun was named as the chairman of the forum, while Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra, was named as the vice-chairman.

Speaking on the issues discussed at the meeting, he said the governors deliberated on the need for devolution of powers to state governments.

Abiodun said members of the forum talked about the need for them to be the chief security officers of their states by actions and not by mere titles.

“We talked about the devolution of powers. In terms of devolution of powers, we touched on our mineral resources, value-added tax and sale tax administration, the issue of state security, and the role of governors as chief security officers in deeds, not just by name,” the Ogun governor

“We also discussed how to properly integrate ourselves and amplify the competing and comparative advantages of each state that comprised the region.

“It is important that we deliberately have what we call a southern states development agency or agenda. This will now harness each of our comparative advantages.

“We begin to marry these advantages with potential investors and individual state investment promotion agencies with the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council to ensure that states are no longer reliant on federal allocations and that each state can now begin to increase its potential to generate revenue.”