The South-South governors have decided to build a stronger regional economic bloc, based on infrastructure connectivity, investment mobilization, maritime development, industrialization and coordinated engagement with the Federal Government, as they seek to translate the region’s enormous economic potential into tangible prosperity for its people.
The resolution forms the thrust of the statement issued at the end of the second meeting of the South-South Governors Forum, held on Monday in Calabar, Cross River State, under the chairmanship of Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri.
The governors identified regional railway development, the rehabilitation and modernization of the seaports of Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri, and the economic opportunities offered by the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway as strategic priorities. They also resolved to engage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on critical South-South issues, particularly infrastructure and environmental development, while reaffirming their commitment to his re-election in 2027 with “100 percent” support from the region. The Forum further resolved to institutionalize its activities through quarterly meetings, with Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to host the next meeting from November 6 to 8, 2026.
The statement also covered a broader regional investment strategy, reflecting BRACED Commission Director General Ambassador Joe Keshi’s presentation on efforts to promote regional infrastructure, particularly rail development.
The National Chairman of PANDEF, Ambassador Godknows Boladei Igali, had advocated for a regional investment fund capable of mobilizing capital for projects that transcend individual state borders, while urging governors to place youth at the center of the region’s economic transformation. The emerging agenda therefore seeks to move the South-South from isolated state-level initiatives to an integrated economic space driven by shared infrastructure, investments and value chains.
Hosting the meeting, the Cross River State Governor and Vice-Chairman of the Forum, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, said the region’s ability to ensure meaningful development depended on the extent to which its states could speak and act collectively. “We must unite as a people; we must cooperate and we must ensure that our voice is heard and respected,” Otu declared.
He stressed that “the South-South has everything it takes” to become one of Nigeria’s most formidable economic blocs, provided states can overcome fragmentation and leverage their resources within a common regional framework.
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Otu called for a unified regional position on tax equity, particularly value added tax, oil and gas revenue and the 13 percent derivation benchmark. He also sought the Forum’s support for Cross River’s campaign to regain its oil-producing status, describing the issue as part of the state’s broader quest for greater economic opportunities.
On infrastructure, he proposed a regional corridor linking the deep seaport of Bakassi in Calabar with the East-West Highway and the ports of Bayelsa and Delta, while advocating greater integration of the region’s agricultural economies. “We must start looking beyond the exploitation of raw resources,” he said in essence, urging the region to embrace value addition, industrial processing and job creation, particularly through the production, processing and development of cassava ethanol.
Diri, in his opening remarks, insisted that the Forum must be distinguished by implementation rather than rhetoric. “We cannot afford to continue being a region of meetings and communications,” he said, stressing that “the meeting must produce movement” and that the decisions reached must be translated into “measurable progress.”
He argued that the South-South, despite its enormous contribution to Nigeria’s economy, could no longer afford fragmented approaches to challenges that were inherently regional. “We must go beyond resolutions and move to implementation,” he said, emphasizing coordinated action on infrastructure, transportation, security, environmental remediation and economic integration.
The Bayelsa governor placed special emphasis on connectivity as a basis for regional economic transformation. He called for accelerated development of road, rail, air and sea infrastructure, including the East-West Highway, Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and regional rail networks. Diri said the South-South must deliberately position itself as “Nigeria’s gas industrial hub, West Africa’s maritime gateway and the country’s leading blue economy zone.”
He also drew attention to the region’s environmental burden, arguing that a region that serves as a major economic driver of Nigeria should not simultaneously bear the disproportionate consequences of ecological degradation.
“We cannot continue to produce wealth while communities remain surrounded by environmental devastation,” was the thrust of their argument as they called for greater remediation across the Niger Delta.
Accordingly, governors linked economic development to security and environmental sustainability, recognizing that investment cannot flourish where communities, waterways and critical infrastructure remain vulnerable.
The Forum advocated for greater intelligence sharing and coordinated security operations to protect communities, oil and gas assets and economic corridors in the six states. The governors also emphasized the importance of environmental restoration, reflecting what Diri described as the need to confront the “contradiction” of a region sustaining Nigeria’s economy while suffering severe ecological and development consequences.
The Forum also resolved to support the re-election of President Tinubu in 2027 and seek direct engagement with him on the development priorities of the region.
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