From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Anambra Central Senator Victor Umeh has charged governors of the five states in the Southeast zone to work closely with each other towards regional cooperation and development.
Umeh spoke in Awka on Thursday while chairing the Inaugural Alpha Times Roundtable, organised by Mr Paul Nwosu, former Commissioner for Information in Anambra State, to mark the rebranding and transition of his media outfit, Anambra Times, to Alpha Times, to cover the entire Southeast zone.
Senator Umeh said there was a need for Southeast governors to come together and revive industries in the zone to provide employment for the zone’s teeming population.
He praised President Bola Tinubu for the creation of the Southeast Development Commission and the appointment of competent, forward-thinking persons to manage the commission. He said there is an urgent need for the governors of the Southeast to take the bull by the horns by driving development programmes, including security, in areas where they have a comparative advantage and in a cooperative manner, instead of pursuing individualism and competing among themselves on who is the best performing.
“I’m here to be part of the discourse about how we can ensure collaboration in the zone. We can say that the Southeast is not where it should be. In 1964, we were branded as the fastest-growing economy in the world because of the ingenuity of the Igbo people, and the industrialisation policy was top-notch.
“That was when most of the industries you see today were built. In hospitality, we had chains of hotels, and in agriculture, we were the best, and the Southeast was the development corridor of the world.
“We should not be waiting for anyone to make the Southeast an industrial cluster because we have the ingenuity. I challenge our governors. They are supposed to lead the quest for industrialisation; that was what M.I. Okpara did.
“All the industries built by Okpara have all died. What are the governors doing to revive them? Our people are very ingenious; we are very creative. If we are talking about industrial parks, let them come alive. If it is in Nnewi, let us see those industries. Roads are not the only things we need; we need industries to engage our people. We want to see what happened in Japan happen here.
“I’m in the Senate, and people are coming to ask for white-collar jobs, but we know that people can acquire skills that can help them be useful. Small and medium-scale industries are what helped to boost China and Japan. When you aggregate what everyone is doing, it boosts the economy of the zone,” Umeh stated.
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Anambra Times, Dr Paul Nwosu, in a remark, noted that the Roundtable on Southeast Interstate Collaboration and the official rebranding of Anambra Times was convened to reflect deeply on the transformative power of regional collaboration as a means of unlocking the full economic potential of the Southeast.
He said the time has come to move beyond rhetoric and embrace practical partnerships that will drive the region forward.
“While the federal government rightly pursues regional integration through development commissions, the states within the Southeast can—and indeed must—collaborate more deliberately and strategically, building on their respective strengths and comparative advantages. Such collaboration is not only desirable—it is imperative and promises a win-win outcome for the entire region.
“The Southeast is a region flowing—literally and metaphorically—with milk and honey. It is economically vibrant, politically aware, socially engaging, and culturally profound. Yet, when it comes to national media focus, our region is either ignored or unfairly framed in negative stereotypes.
“The rebranded Anambra Times intends to change that narrative. It will be a regional voice of substance and nuance, celebrating our people, telling our stories, and amplifying our potential,” Nwosu stated.