Southern Govs to Engage President Tinubu on Critical Development
The South-South governors forum of Nigeria, led by the Governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency (Sen) Douye Diri, has resolved to engage the President of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on critical South-South concerns, particularly infrastructure and environmental development, as they seek to translate the region’s economic potential into tangible prosperity for its people.
During the governors forum meeting held in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, they made the resolution.
The proposed engagement with the federal government aims to build a stronger regional economic block anchored on infrastructural development that will attract investment.
Senator Diri, in his opening speech, noted that the forum must stand out through implementation. “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”.
The members of the governors’ forum have identified regional rail development, the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Calabar, Port Harcourt, and Warri seaports, and the economic opportunities offered by the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as strategic priorities.
The governor of Cross River, Senator Bassey Otu; the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno; the governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara; the governor of Delta State, Mr Sheriff Oborevwori; and the governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, also resolved and reaffirmed full commitment for the re-election of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president in 2027.
Accordingly, the next quarterly meeting of the South-South governors forum is expected to hold in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, from the 6th day of November to the 8th of November 2026.
