By Abasi Ita
South South governors have begun moves to establish a stronger regional economic bloc anchored on infrastructure connectivity, investment mobilisation, maritime development, industrialisation and coordinated engagement with the Federal Government.
The governors made the commitment 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, Senator Douye Diri.
They identified regional rail development, rehabilitation and modernisation of the Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri seaports, as well as opportunities created by the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway, as strategic priorities.
The Forum also resolved to engage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on critical regional concerns, particularly infrastructure and environmental development, while reaffirming its commitment to his re election in 2027.
The governors agreed 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 communiqué followed a presentation by the Director General of the BRACED Commission, Ambassador Joe Keshi, on regional infrastructure development, particularly rail transportation.
PANDEF National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows Boladei Igali, advocated the establishment of a regional investment fund capable of mobilising capital for projects that transcend individual states.
Igali also urged the governors to place young people at the centre of the region’s economic transformation, as the Forum seeks to move from isolated state initiatives towards an integrated economic space driven by shared infrastructure, investment and value chains.
Speaking at the meeting, Cross River State Governor and Vice Chairman of the Forum, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, said the region could only secure meaningful development through collective action.
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.
On infrastructure, Otu proposed a regional corridor linking the Bakassi Deep Seaport in Calabar with the East West Road and ports in Bayelsa and Delta.
He also advocated greater integration of the region’s agricultural economies, particularly cassava production, processing and ethanol development, stressing the need to move beyond raw resource exploitation towards value addition, industrial processing and job creation.
Diri, in his opening remarks, urged the governors to move beyond rhetoric and ensure that decisions reached at the Forum translated into measurable progress.
He called for accelerated development of road, rail, air and maritime infrastructure, including the East West Road, Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway and regional rail networks.
The Bayelsa governor 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.
The governors also advocated stronger intelligence sharing and coordinated security operations to protect communities, oil and gas assets and economic corridors across the six states.
They further called for expanded environmental remediation in the Niger Delta and resolved to seek direct engagement with President Tinubu on the region’s development priorities.