Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called for a bold economic reimagining of the South East, urging the region’s states to abandon isolated development efforts and embrace a single, integrated economic bloc capable of competing on a national and global scale.
Mbah said the South East could no longer afford to function as five parallel actors, stressing that only a common market and coordinated regional strategy could unlock the zone’s vast economic potential.
The governor made the call on Wednesday in Enugu as Vice President Kashim Shettima officially declared open the South East Vision 2050 (SEV2050) Regional Stakeholder Forum, organised by the South East Development Commission (SEDC) at the International Conference Centre (ICC).
“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,” Mbah declared.
“Today, I propose the birth of the South East Common Market – a bold, borderless unification of our commerce, our talent, and our industrial grit.
“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,” he added.
Describing the proposal as more than a policy shift, Mbah said it represented “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.”
The governor warned that the global economy now favours regions that can organise at scale, integrate markets, and coordinate systems, noting that fragmented economies risk remaining perpetual consumers rather than creators of value.
According to him, Vision 2050 offers the South East a framework to confront challenges beyond the capacity of any single state to resolve.
However, he stressed that the plan must move swiftly from strategy to execution, beginning with a jointly funded and governed regional feasibility and project preparation phase.
“Second, we must begin with logistics and connectivity, because economies do not integrate on paper, they integrate through movement,” Mbah said.
“The South East needs its first deliberately designed interstate logistics corridors, road, rail, inland hubs, and multi-modal systems that allow goods, people, and services to move seamlessly across state lines.
“These are not prestige projects. They are productivity infrastructure, and they must be planned and contracted as regional assets, not state trophies.”
He further argued that security must be treated as regional infrastructure, pointing out that criminal networks do not respect state boundaries.
“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,” he said.
Mbah also called for harmonisation of investment rules, regulatory frameworks, and dispute resolution mechanisms to ensure the South East presents “a coherent face to capital, enterprise, and its own citizens.”
Lamenting the region’s persistent fragmentation despite its shared identity and long-standing culture of cooperation, the governor warned that disunity has become a present-day economic constraint.
“The world we are operating in now is unforgiving of disconnection and lack of unity. The global economy does not reward isolated effort,” he said.
“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.”
Mbah said what the South East had lacked was a strong shared system to bind its strengths together, describing Vision 2050 as “our chance to build that system as a framework for action, not for someday, but starting now.”
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing the South East Development Commission, describing it as proof that regional development does not happen in isolation.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Earlier, Vice President Kashim Shettima, while declaring the forum open, said Vision 2050 marked a decisive departure from short-term development approaches that had failed to deliver lasting results for the region.
He said the SEDC was designed to drive structural transformation, not routine bureaucracy, insisting that Nigeria’s strength lies in the prosperity of its regions.
“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,” Shettima said.
He noted that the South East carries a unique historical burden, making deliberate and sustained regional planning both urgent and unavoidable.
The Vice President also announced that President Tinubu had approved the establishment of the South East Investment Company Limited, aimed at mobilising capital from the diaspora, capital markets, and development finance institutions.
According to him, the company will work in synergy with the SEDC to bridge post-war infrastructure gaps and strengthen the region’s long-term competitiveness.
The forum was 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.
Also present were ministers, representatives of international development agencies, captains of industry, and heads of federal and state agencies, among other stakeholders.
