By Tapre Timine, Bayelsa
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has declared the Gulf of Guinea as a vital but underutilised economic hub for Nigeria and Africa, stressing that Bayelsa’s strategic coastal position places it at the centre of massive opportunities in oil, gas, fisheries, and maritime trade.
Speaking at the Nigerian Mission House in New York during a High-Level Discourse on the Gulf of Guinea, held on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, Governor Diri underscored the vast wealth of the 6,000-kilometre maritime basin.
He said the Gulf anchors nearly 60 per cent of Africa’s oil production, holds 4.5 per cent of proven global oil reserves, and serves as a key channel for expanding seaborne trade across a regional market of over 500 million people.
“Bayelsa’s unique geography grants us unmatched prospects for oil and gas exports, maritime logistics, fisheries, and coastal trade,” Diri said, describing the state as both an energy powerhouse and custodian of delicate ecosystems.
The Governor explained that Bayelsa, with the longest coastline in Nigeria at over 200 kilometres, holds vast potential beyond crude oil, spanning gas, tourism, aviation, glass, and ceramics.
Security and Crime Prevention
Governor Diri acknowledged that piracy, drug trafficking, illicit financial flows, and organised crime remain threats to the Gulf of Guinea’s prospects, a concern also raised by UNODC Executive Director, Amb. Ghada Waly, who noted Nigeria lost over $40 billion to financial crimes in the last decade.
He, however, highlighted Bayelsa’s community-based crime prevention strategy—the first of its kind among Nigeria’s coastal states—combining local security outfits such as the Bayelsa Community Safety Corps with technological surveillance and formal support from the Navy, Police, and Joint Task Force.
According to him, the partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the German Government has already yielded results, including the rescue of seven kidnapped victims in 2022.
Call for Regional Collaboration
The discourse, convened by The New Diplomat in collaboration with the Angola-based Gulf of Guinea Commission, was themed “Unlocking Energy, Oil/Gas, Mineral Resources, Aviation and Maritime Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea: A Roadmap for Peace and Security.”
The session was chaired by former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and attended by Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and Solid Minerals Minister, Dr. Dele Alake, among others.
Convener of the event, Ambassador Oma Djebah, proposed the creation of a Gulf of Guinea Business Council (GoGBC) to drive private-sector collaboration and harness the region’s vast resources.