It was an uncommon event that brought together elite personages on Thursday, June 19, 2025 at Hilton Leisure Resort & Hotel in Awka, Anambra State. The influential Anambra Times online publication got rebranded as Alpha Times at the AT Inaugural Roundtable on Southeast, an initiative of Alpha Times (AT) Media Concepts.
The personable Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of the media group, Sir Paul Nwosu, PhD, revealed that the organisation undertook the rebranding by repositioning the authoritative news organ to take the lead in projecting the image of the Southeast region through better storytelling, policy dialogues and constructive engagements with critical stakeholders.
At the inaugural roundtable, Distinguished Professor Godwin Onu, mni, of the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, delivered a keynote lecture on the topic, “Harnessing the Power of Interstate Collaboration to Unlock the Southeast’s Full Economic Potentials.”
Prof Onu’s keynote address was later distilled by a panel of eminent discussants, notably: Prof. Frank-Collins Okafor, who represented Hon. Afam Ogene of the House of Reps; the much sought-after technocrat Hon. Mike Ogbuekwe; and the Anambra State Commissioner of Police Ikioye Orutugu, PhD, who was coopted into the panel by the Chairman of the Occasion, Senator Victor Umeh.
In the words of the Communique, “the event was intellectually stimulating, providing a robust platform for discussing the future of the Southeast geopolitical zone in the face of economic, security and other challenges.”
In his opening remarks, the chairman, Senator Victor Umeh admonished political actors in Anambra State to play by the rules at this momentous time of the approach of the November 8, 2025 gubernatorial elections in the state. Senator Umeh advised the governors and sundry leaders in the Southeast region to focus on the people’s areas of comparative advantage to help the zone’s industrialization efforts. He then thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for signing the South East Development Commission (SEDC) Bill into Law, stressing that the region needs a Technological Blueprint that will emphasize skills acquisition and SMEs development as was done in China.
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Sir Paul Nwosu, PhD stressed that the event is neither an academic exercise nor a forum to develop a nonexistent theory or paradigm. For him, what the event is re-proposing is akin to when Sir Michael Okpara held sway as the Premier of the old Eastern region. He equally lauded the signing into law of the South East Development Commission (SEDC).
In his Keynote Lecture, Prof. Godwin Onu, mni, identified strongly with his Igbo roots and identity, informing all how his love for the Igbo race made him want to volunteer to join the defunct Biafran Army during the civil war at the age of 5. He divulged his record of activism by daring to call for the pardon of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu as an undergraduate student of the University of Ibadan. Prof Onu was recently inaugurated as a member of the Professorial Endowment Committee of Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo at its headquarters in Enugu State.
The crux of Prof. Onu’s lecture is centered on a roadmap for collaboration among the five states in the Southeast region. According to Prof. Onu, “Our goal is to explore how a regional economic strategy can drive sustainable growth, attract investments, and position the Southeast as a competitive economic hub within Nigeria and beyond.”
He itemized the areas of strategic alliance such as Education which will entail the creation of an educational cluster/hub that will serve as an integration point for high-quality educational institutions, with emphasis on Standard model schools across the Southeast region; Technical and Vocational Centres in all the states of the Southeast; Alliance State Universities and Polytechnics; Uniform standards for private schools in the Southeast region; and Regional Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies.
On the issues of Technology, Industry and Manufacturing, Prof Onu suggested the models to improve the manufacturing and industrial sectors in the region thusly: Expansion of automobile and spare parts manufacturing; Agro-Allied and Food Processing in strategic places in the region; and developing Industrial clusters etc.
He acknowledged the importance of the energy sector in economic development and suggested that the Alliance States must establish an Independent Energy Supply. He advocated sustainable mining practices, environmental regulations, and transparent governance.
Prof Onu stated that the Alliance States should have a Hall of Fame where the region’s great heroes and heroines as well as inventors are displayed and recognized.
He made a case for the establishment of Alliance Centre for Science, Technology, and Innovation in Agriculture and Agro-allied industries. He also suggested the creation of the Alliance State Bio-Technology and Central Research Laboratory.
The guest lecturer suggested strategies for the management of the Southeast environment, notably: Eco-friendly open parks for relaxation across the states; Effective waste management systems; Decongesting the cities by moving selected government MDAs out of the state capitals; Low-cost housing for civil servants etc.
He stressed that State water supply boards should be reestablished to manage the environmental hazards that come from poor access to water supply.
Prof Onu highlighted the need for a well-coordinated Alliance States’ Transportation Policy to boost the transport system in the Southeast by connecting the major cities in the Southeast region with high-speed railway networks; creating helipad systems that can facilitate air travel from one state to another; commercializing major roads and highways through an effective tolling system; building Eco-friendly bus stations across the Local Governments and Towns with good restaurants, modern toilets and mini marts that should be kept clean at all times.
By way of additional remarks, Senator Victor Umeh emphasized the synchronization of efforts by Governors in the Southeast in order to have a uniform development paradigm. He maintained that his suggestion is in line with the Eastern region development blueprint of Dr. Michael Okpara, the then Premier of the Eastern region.
In his contribution, Anambra State Commissioner of Police, C.P Ikioye Orutugu, PhD, stated that he’s speaking in his personal capacity and not for the government or the police. He made bold to stress that there can be no development where there is no security. He attributed the problems in the state and region to issues of moral decadence in the society. He called on the leadership to make conscious efforts towards “demilitarizing the minds of the youth” which has been corrupted through faulty family upbringing. He argued that the leadership of the Southeast region must ensure that the new Southeast that is being proposed through the “Alliance States” must be protected at all cost.
On his part, Hon. Mike Ogbuekwe advocated the creation of a Southeast Development Agency (SEDA) by the five states which will complement the SEDC as a homegrown integrative platform that will help to harness the efforts of each state in the Southeast towards the greater good.
Hon Afam Ogene’s representative, Prof. Frank-Collins Okafor, in his own contribution, implored the guest lecturer to consider how the ideals proposed in the lecture can be sold to the Federal government and other segments of the Nigerian society without it being misconstrued to be another form of espousing the Biafran secessionist ideologies. Prof. Okafor raised issues about the fragmented political leanings of the leadership in the Southeast region, and wondered how a regional agenda can be pursued in the face of fragmented political ideologies and affiliations. He raised the issue of the practicability of the ideas as opposed to merely proposing them.
Guest Lecturer Prof Onu, in rounding up, stated that harnessing the latent economic powers of the Southeast necessitates a paradigm shift towards enhanced interstate collaboration by fostering a unified economic strategy transcending individual state limitations. For him, collaborative approach is essential for fostering sustainable economic growth, thus creating employment opportunities, and improving the overall quality of life for the region’s residents. His recommendation is that by pooling of resources and expertise the Southeast states can overcome the constraints of limited individual capacity and thus achieve economies of scale in key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and technology as well as research and development.
From the contributions of the elite audience, the inaugural edition of the AT Roundtable on Southeast is indeed a resounding success. The majority of views harped on the need for the people of the Southeast region to look inwards. Given the many challenges facing the government at various levels, Ndi-Igbo must chart their development course without relying on or waiting for the federal government.
The concept of “Alliance States” as a platform for the different governments of the Southeast to come together and forge a regional economic strategy through mutual cooperation, strategic partnership, shared vision and a collective political will irrespective of political leanings and affiliations can hardly be countermanded. The pivotal role of leadership in the economic development of the Southeast is central in addressing the fragmented ideologies identified as a major impediment to the development of the Southeast region.