…Forum backs Tinubu’s re-election, demands ports revival, regional rail, fair Derivation

South-South governors have resolved to transform the Niger Delta into a unified regional economic powerhouse built on infrastructure connectivity, industrialisation, maritime trade and a single investment voice to the Federal Government.

The decision was the highlight of the second meeting of the South-South Governors’ Forum held in Calabar on Monday under the chairmanship of Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri.

In a detailed communiqué, the governors said the region can no longer afford fragmented development and must move “beyond resolutions to implementation” to convert its oil, gas, maritime and agricultural wealth into jobs and prosperity.

The Forum identified regional rail development, rehabilitation of the Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri seaports, and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as immediate strategic priorities.

Bayelsa Governor Diri said connectivity is the foundation for transformation and called for accelerated work on road, rail, air and maritime infrastructure, including the East-West Road.

“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,” Diri said. “We cannot afford to remain a region of meetings and communiqués. The meeting must produce movement and measurable progress.”

Host Governor and Forum Vice Chairman, Senator Bassey Otu of Cross River, proposed a *regional corridor linking the Bakassi Deep Seaport in Calabar with the East-West Road and the ports of Bayelsa and Delta. He said the region must also integrate its agricultural economies through value addition.

“We must begin to look beyond the exploitation of raw resources,” Otu said. “The South-South has everything it takes to become one of Nigeria’s most formidable economic blocs, provided we overcome fragmentation and harness our resources within a common regional framework.”

He cited cassava processing and ethanol development as areas where the region can create jobs and retain value.

The governors embraced a broader regional investment strategy following a presentation by BRACED Commission DG, Ambassador Joe Keshi, on advancing regional infrastructure, especially rail.

PANDEF National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows Boladei Igali, urged the Forum to create a regional investment fund to mobilise capital for cross-border projects and to place young people at the centre of the transformation agenda.

The Forum also linked economic growth to security and environmental remediation. The governors advocated stronger intelligence-sharing and joint security operations to protect communities, oil and gas assets, and economic corridors across the six states.

On the environment, Diri described as a “contradiction” that the region sustains Nigeria’s economy while suffering ecological devastation.

“We cannot continue to produce the wealth while communities remain surrounded by environmental devastation,” he said, calling for expanded remediation across the Niger Delta.

Governor Otu called for a unified regional position on fiscal equity, specifically on 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 it as critical to the state’s economic opportunity.

The communiqué said the governors will engage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directly on infrastructure, environmental development and other South-South concerns.

In a major political declaration, the Forum reaffirmed commitment to President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 with “100 per cent” support from the region.

The governors also resolved to institutionalise the Forum with quarterly meetings. The next meeting will hold in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, from November 6 to 8, 2026.

Analysts say the Calabar meeting marks a shift from isolated state projects to an integrated South-South economic space driven by shared infrastructure, investment and value chains.

“We must come together as a people; we must cooperate, and we must ensure that our voice is heard and respected,” Otu declared.

With the region contributing the bulk of Nigeria’s oil and gas earnings, the governors argued that coordinated action is now the only path to translate that contribution into tangible development for South-South communities.

The Calabar communiqué signals the Forum’s intent to speak with one voice on the economy, security and the environment — and to demand that the Federal Government matches the region’s economic weight with commensurate infrastructure and fiscal justice.