Bassey Inyang in Calabar
South-South governors have resolved to build a stronger regional economic bloc anchored on infrastructure connectivity, investment mobilisation, maritime development, industrialisation 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 formed the thrust of the communiqué issued at the end of the second meeting of the South-South Governors’ Forum, in Calabar, Cross River State, under the chairmanship of Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri.
The governors identified regional rail development, the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri seaports, and the economic opportunities offered by the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as strategic priorities.
They also resolved to engage President Bola Tinubu on critical South-South concerns, particularly infrastructure and environmental development, while reaffirming their commitment to his re-election in 2027 with “100 per cent” support from the region.
The Forum equally resolved to institutionalise its activities through quarterly meetings, with Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, scheduled to host the next meeting from November 6 to 8, 2026.
The communiqué embraced a broader regional investment strategy, reflecting the presentation by the Director-General of the BRACED Commission, Ambassador Joe Keshi, on efforts to advance regional infrastructure, particularly rail development.
PANDEF National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows Boladei Igali, had advocated a regional investment fund capable of mobilising capital for projects that transcend individual state boundaries.
At the same time, he urged the governors to place young people at the centre of the region’s economic transformation.
The emerging agenda, therefore, sought to move the South-South from isolated state-level initiatives towards an integrated economic space driven by shared infrastructure, investment and value chains.
Hosting the meeting, Cross River State Governor and Vice Chairman of the Forum, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, said the region’s ability to secure meaningful development depended on the extent to which its states could speak and act collectively.
“We must come together 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 the states could overcome fragmentation and harness their resources within a common regional framework.
Otu called for a unified regional position on fiscal equity, particularly Value Added Tax, oil and gas revenues and the 13 per cent 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 opportunity.
On infrastructure, he proposed a regional corridor linking the Bakassi Deep Seaport in Calabar with the East-West Road and the ports of Bayelsa and Delta, while advocating greater integration of the region’s agricultural economies.
“We must begin to look beyond the exploitation of raw resources,” he said in substance, urging the region to embrace value addition, industrial processing and job creation, particularly through cassava production, processing and ethanol development.
Diri, in his opening remarks, insisted that the Forum must distinguish itself through implementation rather than rhetoric.
“We cannot afford to remain a region of meetings and communiqués,” he said, stressing that “the meeting must produce movement” and that the decisions reached must translate 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 move beyond resolutions to implementation,” he said, emphasising coordinated action on infrastructure, transportation, security, environmental remediation and economic integration.
The Bayelsa governor placed particular emphasis on connectivity as the foundation for regional economic transformation.
He called for accelerated development of road, rail, air and maritime infrastructure, including the East-West Road, the 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 engine of Nigeria should not simultaneously bear the disproportionate consequences of ecological degradation.
“We cannot continue to produce the wealth while communities remain surrounded by environmental devastation,” was the thrust of his argument as he called for expanded remediation across the Niger Delta.