South-West Summit: Regional Cooperation Key to Nigeria’s Growth — Dawn Commission DG
By Exponent News Akure 30th October,2025
The Director-General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, Mr. Seye Oyeleye, has emphasized that regional cooperation, rather than isolation, remains the key to Nigeria’s balanced development and national unity.
Oyeleye stated this while addressing participants at the fourth edition of the South-West Summit, held on Thursday at The Dome, Akure, Ondo State. The summit, convened in partnership with Afenifere, brought together political leaders, technocrats, and stakeholders from across the South-West to deliberate on regional growth and governance.
Speaking passionately as “a proud son of the South-West,” the DAWN Commission DG described the summit as a significant milestone in the region’s collective journey toward prosperity. He explained that the collaboration between DAWN and Afenifere was built on a shared vision to create an inclusive, structured platform for the South-West to engage constructively with the federal government.
“If not Afenifere, who else?” Oyeleye asked rhetorically. “We seek platforms that promote collaboration around our shared values, heritage, and destiny. Progress is built on partnerships, not isolation.”
He cited historical and global examples such as the European Union and the Nordic Council, which, according to him, have demonstrated how regional cooperation can strengthen rather than weaken national identity. He called on South-West leaders to make the summit an enduring institutional platform for continuous dialogue and policy coordination with the federal government.
According to him, “In a democracy, dialogue is a fundamental right, not a favor. Platforms like this summit that facilitate dialogue are not optional but essential.”
Acknowledging the challenges encountered in organizing the summit, Oyeleye said each edition had offered valuable lessons that would help institutionalize the forum as a permanent feature of South-West regional development.
He expressed appreciation to the host governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, for his support, noting that every great institution starts with a small but determined beginning. Drawing parallels with the World Economic Forum, which began modestly in 1971 but now shapes global policy, he said the South-West Summit could similarly evolve into a defining force in regional development.
Oyeleye highlighted examples of regional cooperation across the world — including Germany’s Zollverein, Canada’s Council of the Federation, and the U.S. federal system — stressing that the six South-West states must adopt the same spirit of partnership to overcome shared challenges.
“The South-West development load is too heavy for any single state to bear,” he said. “We need our states, traditional institutions, private sector, and civil society to work together. Regional frameworks are not optional but essential in 21st-century governance.”
Commending the South-West governors for sustaining the DAWN Commission 13 years after its creation, Oyeleye clarified that the region’s development drive is not about separatism but about “cooperative federalism,” where regional coordination strengthens national unity.
He lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for recognizing the strategic role of regional development commissions in fostering national progress, saying the creation of similar commissions across the country signals a positive step toward balanced growth.
“You cannot build a strong center on weak peripheries. Where regions thrive, the nation prospers,” he declared. “Regional institutions, properly empowered and funded, become force multipliers for national development.”
Oyeleye urged participants to commit to three key principles: honest dialogue based on evidence, constructive engagement that offers solutions, and institution building to ensure continuity. He noted that the summit’s true success would be measured by the tangible improvements citizens experience in the coming year.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999, Oyeleye said the country’s endurance was built on strong institutions and called for the same approach in regional governance.
“Today, we are building another institution — a platform for structured citizen-government engagement at the regional level,” he said. “Some will doubt, some will criticize, but those who believe must make it work and prove that dialogue delivers development.”
He concluded by urging unity among South-West stakeholders, stressing that the summit belongs to everyone and must be sustained for future generations.
“As the Yorùbá say, when the left hand washes the right, the right washes the left,” Oyeleye said. “Let this summit be where federal and regional governments and citizens wash hands together to build the South-West — and indeed, the Nigeria — we all desire.”
