Industrialising Nigeria’s South-South

Nigeria’s South-South region is home to the country’s gas reserve. With a capacity to supply adequate electricity, many believe the region has the potential to attract investment and stir industrialization for the country.

This however is yet to be seen. Joe Keshi, the Director General of the Braced Commission said the challenge they face is the right focus has not been on exploring the potentials.

Beyond selling oil, the region has more agricultural potentials which have not been explored in any way. We have to sit down and think of how we can construct the required policy issues that will assist the region to grow and at the same time affect the development of the country.

In Nigeria, we all dream of 24-hour electricity supply, Keshi says that as of today, Rivers state alone has the capacity to supply electricity to the whole of the South-south. In the electric structure of Nigeria, whatever is generated is put into the national grid, so there is this paradox where other regions will benefit from the electricity whereas the area that supplied does not have electricity itself.

The potentials of this region is not in doubt, in any field at all, we have the capacity, the human resources , it is just the policy issue and the concentration of the leaders to realise that they need to work together as a team to focus 24hours on developing the resources in this region. If this can be done, the region would grow on its own.” Keshi said.