By Ike Uchechukwu, Calabar
CALABAR — The South-South Governors’ Forum (SSGF) has declared that the region has what it takes to become Nigeria’s most formidable economic bloc, while pledging “100 per cent” support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The governors also resolved to reposition the region as an integrated economic powerhouse by fast-tracking rail connectivity, rehabilitating seaports, promoting industrialisation and presenting a united front in its engagements with the Federal Government.
The resolutions were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the second meeting of the SSGF, held in Calabar on Monday and chaired by Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri.
The forum identified regional rail development, rehabilitation of the Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri seaports, and opportunities presented by the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as strategic priorities.
The governors also agreed to institutionalise quarterly meetings, with Uyo scheduled to host the next session from November 6 to 8, 2026.
Hosting his colleagues, Cross River State Governor and Vice Chairman of the forum, Senator Bassey Otu, said the region’s development depended on its ability to speak with one voice.
“We must come together as a people; we must cooperate, and we must ensure that our voice is heard and respected,” Otu said.
He maintained that the South-South had “everything it takes” to become one of Nigeria’s most formidable economic blocs.
Otu called for a common regional position on fiscal equity, including Value Added Tax, oil and gas revenues and the 13 per cent derivation benchmark.
He also sought the forum’s backing for Cross River State’s campaign to regain its oil-producing status.
The governor proposed a regional economic corridor linking the Bakassi Deep Seaport with the East-West Road and the ports in Bayelsa and Delta, urging the region to move beyond raw resource exploitation to value addition, particularly in cassava processing and ethanol production.
In his opening remarks, Diri said the forum must be judged by results rather than rhetoric, stressing that its resolutions must translate into tangible development.
“We cannot afford to remain a region of meetings and communiqués. The meeting must produce movement,” he said, adding that resolutions must translate into “measurable progress.”
Diri said the South-South should position itself as “Nigeria’s gas-industrial hub, West Africa’s maritime gateway and the country’s leading blue-economy zone.”
He, however, expressed concern over the environmental challenges facing the Niger Delta and called for expanded remediation efforts.
“We cannot continue to produce the wealth while communities remain surrounded by environmental devastation,” the governor said.
The communiqué also followed presentations by the Director-General of the BRACED Commission, Ambassador Joe Keshi, on regional rail development, and an appeal by PANDEF National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows Igali, for the establishment of a regional investment fund and greater focus on youth-driven economic transformation.
The governors further resolved to strengthen intelligence-sharing and coordinated security operations across the six states to protect oil and gas assets, communities and economic corridors.
They also agreed to engage directly with President Tinubu on the region’s infrastructure and environmental priorities.
On the 2027 election, the forum pledged its “100 per cent” support for Tinubu’s re-election bid, alongside its broader commitment to advancing the economic and developmental interests of the South-South region.
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