* As SEDC promises hope for South-south geopolitical zone

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

Five years after the #EndSARS protests that shook Nigeria, over 1,000 citizens gathered in Abuja last week for Caustival 2025.

It was a powerful two-day arts and film festival dedicated to memory, justice and civic resistance, according to Gatefield, a public strategy and media group.

Gatefield’s Media Officer, Hannatu Asheolge, in her statement, said the festival transformed the federal capital into a reflective and emotionally charged space that interrogated the country’s democratic journey, governance and accountability.

Asheolge said Caustival held on June 13 and 14 and featured more than 10 artists and filmmakers who presented provocative installations, films and performances. 

These works, the statement added, explored state violence, the lingering impact of #EndSARS, and the importance of remembering in the process of national healing.

It read: “At the heart of the festival was a striking tribute installation honoring the victims of the 2020 EndSARS protests. 

“This immersive exhibit — blending sound, visuals and video — brought attendees face-to-face with the emotional toll and unanswered questions that remain five years later. 

“It wasn’t just about art. It was about refusal — refusing to forget, refusing to be silent.” 

Asheolge added that public artworks featured in the event included broken police shields inscribed with protest chants and a recreation of a protest site complete with candles and symbolic questions. 

She also said films such as Freedom Way, Bad Press, and Radical Gambo Dawaba deepened the critical discourse. Post-screening panels enabled citizens and activists to connect Nigeria’s struggles with global movements for justice.

Co-organiser Mahmud Jafar, according to the statement, emphasized that Caustival goes beyond art.

Jafar said: “It is a platform for telling the stories the state would rather silence and for building the civic imagination this moment demands.” 

He added that the event challenged the nation to confront its history and embrace the responsibilities of remembrance and resistance.

As Nigeria continues to grapple with issues of democracy, governance and civic space, Caustival 2025 underscored the enduring power of art — not just as documentation, but as a demand for meaningful change.

 SEDC: A New Era of Hope for South-south

In a separate development, the South South Development Commission (SEDC) is preparing to launch operations with a renewed focus on equitable development and transparency. 

At a recent Senate screening, Usoro Offiong Akpabio, the Managing Director nominee, promised to ensure balanced allocation of projects across the oil-rich South-south region based on specific needs like population and levels of underdevelopment.

Akpabio assured the Senate Committee on SEDC that the new agency would prioritize both infrastructure and human capital development, with particular attention to healthcare access in rural areas. 

Drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, she emphasized the importance of medical outreaches and the rehabilitation of decaying health facilities often neglected in regional planning.

She stated: “The rural community is very important. COVID-19 taught us a lesson. While everybody focused on general hospitals, rural areas were abandoned. We will address that.”

The Senate panel stressed the need for projects that directly tackle the region’s challenges — economic sabotage, environmental degradation and infrastructure decay.

The Committee Chairman, Senator Benson Kombowei, urged the incoming leadership to design strategic programmes tailored to the zone’s diverse communities and pressing needs.

The SEDC’s full leadership team includes: Hon. Chibudom Nwuche (Chairman, Rivers State); Marcus Nie Eji (Executive Director of Projects, Rivers); Aganaba Preye Steven (Social & Human Capital Development, Bayelsa); Dr. Timi Alari Ayibatonye (Corporate Services, Delta); Joseph Ugheoke (Commercial & Environmental Development, Edo) and Ambassador Sony Abang (Finance, Cross River)

Additional board members were also nominated from each of the six geopolitical zones to ensure inclusivity.

Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs and a member of the SEDC screening panel, congratulated Akpabio on her nomination.

He recognised her as one of the few female MDs in Nigeria’s development agencies. 

Ekpeyong encouraged her to work collaboratively with board members and leverage their collective expertise to drive progress.

According to him, “You have your work cut out for you. You have a lot to prove, and we believe, based on your credentials and your responses, that you are up to the task. 

“The region is rich in resources — oil, gas, and solid minerals — and we hope the commission can harness these for inclusive growth.”

The Senate committee pledged its support to ensure the SEDC fulfills its mandate to deliver impactful development across the South-south. 

The session ended on a hopeful note, with both lawmakers and nominees aligned on a shared vision of justice, progress and sustainable development for the region.

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