By Asuquo Cletus
South-South governors have called for the support and intervention of the Federal Government in driving infrastructure development, economic integration and environmental renewal across the region.
They identified regional rail development, the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri seaports, as well as the opportunities provided by the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, as key priorities for the region’s economic transformation.
The governors made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of the second meeting of the South-South Governors’ Forum held in Calabar, Cross River State, on Monday, under the chairmanship of Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri.
The governors also resolved to engage President Bola Tinubu on critical issues affecting the region, particularly infrastructure, environmental development and economic integration.
The forum further reaffirmed its support for Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 presidential election, declaring that the President would receive “100 per cent” support from the South-South region.
Speaking during the meeting, the host governor and Vice Chairman of the forum, Bassey Otu, said the region could only achieve meaningful development if its six states worked together and presented a united front.
Otu said, “We must come together as a people; we must cooperate, and we must ensure that our voice is heard and respected.”
The governor maintained that the South-South possessed the resources and economic potential to become one of Nigeria’s strongest economic blocs if its states could overcome fragmentation and pursue common development goals.
He called for a unified regional position on fiscal equity, particularly issues concerning Value Added Tax, oil and gas revenues and the 13 per cent derivation benchmark.
Otu also sought the support of the forum for Cross River State’s campaign to regain its oil-producing status, describing the move as part of the state’s efforts to expand its economic opportunities.
On infrastructure, the governor proposed the development of an economic corridor linking the Bakassi Deep Seaport in Calabar with the East-West Road and ports in Bayelsa and Delta states.
He equally advocated greater integration of the region’s agricultural economies, urging the governors to move beyond the export of raw materials to value addition, industrial processing and job creation.
Otu specifically highlighted cassava production, processing and ethanol development as areas where the region could build stronger value chains and create employment opportunities for its growing population.
In his opening remarks, Diri charged the governors to ensure that the decisions reached at the meeting translated into concrete development projects.
“We cannot afford to remain a region of meetings and communiqués,” he said, stressing that “the meeting must produce movement” and that decisions must lead to “measurable progress.”
The Bayelsa governor said the South-South could no longer afford fragmented approaches to challenges that cut across state boundaries, stressing the need for coordinated action on infrastructure, transportation, security, environmental remediation and economic integration.
Diri called for accelerated development of road, rail, air and maritime infrastructure, including the East-West Road, Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and regional rail networks.
He said the South-South should deliberately position itself as “Nigeria’s gas-industrial hub, West Africa’s maritime gateway and the country’s leading blue-economy zone.”
The governor also drew attention to the environmental challenges confronting the Niger Delta, saying the region should not continue to bear the consequences of environmental degradation while contributing significantly to Nigeria’s economic growth.
The forum consequently called for stronger environmental remediation across the Niger Delta, alongside improved security cooperation to protect communities, waterways, oil and gas assets and other economic corridors.
The governors also resolved to institutionalise the forum through quarterly meetings, with Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, scheduled to host the next meeting from November 6 to 8, 2026.
The Director-General of the BRACED Commission, Ambassador Joe Keshi, also presented proposals on regional infrastructure development, particularly the need to advance rail connectivity across the South-South.
The PANDEF National Chairman, Boladei Igali, advocated the establishment of a regional investment fund to mobilise capital for projects that cut across state boundaries.
Igali also urged the governors to place young people at the centre of the region’s economic transformation, stressing the importance of creating opportunities for them through investment, industrialisation and job creation.
