Governors of the South-South states have agreed to pursue a stronger regional economic bloc built around infrastructure connectivity, maritime development, industrialization and coordinated investment.
The resolution was contained in a communique issued after the second meeting of the South-South Governors’ Forum in Calabar under the chairmanship of Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri.
The governors identified regional rail development, rehabilitation of the Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri seaports and opportunities created by the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as major priorities.
They also agreed to engage President Bola Tinubu on infrastructure and environmental issues affecting the Niger Delta and expressed political support for his 2027 re-election.
The forum said meetings would now hold quarterly, with Uyo scheduled to host the next session from November 6 to 8, 2026.
BRACED Commission Director-General Joe Keshi presented proposals on regional infrastructure, while PANDEF National Chairman Godknows Igali advocated a regional investment fund to finance projects that cross state boundaries.
Cross River Governor Bassey Otu said the region needed a common position on fiscal issues including oil and gas revenues, Value Added Tax and the 13 per cent derivation principle.
He also proposed stronger links between the Bakassi Deep Seaport, East-West Road and ports across Bayelsa and Delta.
Diri said the forum needed to move beyond declarations and produce measurable implementation.
He argued that better road, rail, air and maritime links could position the South-South as a gas-industrial hub, maritime gateway and major blue-economy zone.
The governors also raised environmental remediation as a regional priority, arguing that communities that produce much of Nigeria’s hydrocarbon wealth should not continue to bear disproportionate ecological damage without stronger intervention.
