Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, yesterday said the South East must be reimagined and built into a common market and economic block in order to realise its potential as an economic power house.

Mbah emphasised that the South East could no longer afford to operate as five parallel states, commending President Bola Tinubu for the establishment of the South East Development Commission, SEDC, a clear demonstration of an understanding that regional development does not occur in isolation.

Mbah made the case yesterday as the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, officially declared open the South East Vision 2025 (SEV2025) Regional Stakeholder Forum at the International Conference Centre, ICC, Enugu.

He said: “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. “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.” “This is more than a policy shift; it is 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.”