Governors of the South-South states, under the auspices of the BRACED (Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta) Commission, met on Tuesday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa capital.

The meeting, hosted by Governor Douye Diri, had in attendance the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, the deputy governor of Delta State, Monday Onyeme, and his Akwa Ibom counterpart, Akon Eyakenyi.

Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara sent two representatives to the meeting.

In a communique read by Mr Obaseki, the commission’s chairman, the South-South states lamented the persistent poor state of electricity in the region.

The commission noted that member-states had made huge investments in the power sector by the region’s successive governments and called on the power companies to work more closely with the state governments.

“It also called on the federal government to embark on a comprehensive review of the power sector, particularly with reference to transmission.

“While commending President Bola Tinubu for approving the construction of the coastal road from Lagos to Calabar, the commission called on the federal government to expedite work on the East-West road.

“It also stressed the need for member-states to develop better regional interconnectivity through road, rail, water and air systems.

“It equally condemned the March 14 killing of 17 military officers at Okuama community in Delta State and expressed its condolences to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” it read.

The governors also commiserated with the military hierarchy and the families of the slain officers.

They called on the federal government to establish a high-powered commission of inquiry to investigate what transpired and prevent similar occurrences in the future.

The commission commended the federal government for establishing the National Agriculture Fund and looks forward to working with the agency to improve the region’s economic development, particularly in agro-entrepreneurship and food sufficiency.

The BRACED commission welcomed the ongoing efforts of member-states to promote financial literacy and skills acquisition among women and youths.

It also commended the Bayelsa State government for cooperating with the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNDOC) to build a peace architecture to curb crimes and prevent violence in the state and discussed modalities for expanding the programme.

(NAN))