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South South

{{More citations needed|date=December 2024}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = South-South

| native_name_lang =

| settlement_type = Geopolitical zone

| image_skyline = {{multiple image

| border = infobox

| total_width = 300

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| perrow = 2/2/2

| image1 = Climate and weather in Nigeria 03.jpg

| image2 = Ososo hills and mountain 82.jpg

| image3 = Niger bridge.jpg

| image4 = Kwafalls.jpg

| image5 = Government House , Yenagoa, Bayelsa.jpg

| image6 = Bonny City - panoramio.jpg

}}

| image_alt =

| image_caption = From top, left to right: Ibeno Beach, Ososo Hills, River Niger Bridge, Cross River National Park, Yenagoa, Bonny Island

| motto =

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| coordinates =

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| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|Nigeria}}

| subdivision_type1 = States

| subdivision_name1 = {{plainlist|

}}

| subdivision_type2 = {{Nowrap|Largest city}}

| subdivision_name2 = Benin City

| subdivision_type3 = {{Nowrap|Major cities}}

| subdivision_name3 = {{plainlist|

}}

| unit_pref = Metric

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| population_total = 26,000,000

| population_as_of =

| population_density_km2 =

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| timezone = WAT

| utc_offset = +1

| timezone1_DST =

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| blank_name_sec1 = Languages

| blank_info_sec1 = {{Flatlist|

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| coordinates_region =

}}

{{Improve categories|date=December 2024}}File:Geopolitical Zones of Nigeria.svg

The South-South is one of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. It designates both a geographic and political region of the country's eastern coast. It comprises six states – Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers.

The zone stretches along the Atlantic seaboard from the Bight of Benin coast in the west to the Bight of Bonny coast in the east. It encloses much of the Niger Delta, which is instrumental in the environment and economic development of the region. Geographically, the zone is divided with the Central African mangroves in the coastal far south while the major inland ecoregions are–from east to west–the Cross–Sanaga–Bioko coastal forests, Cross–Niger transition forests, Niger Delta swamp forests, and Nigerian lowland forests.

Although the South-South represents only ~10% of Nigerian territory by land area, it contributes greatly to the Nigerian economy due to extensive oil and natural gas reserves. The zone has a population of about 26 million people, around 12% of the total population of the country. Port Harcourt and Benin City are the most populous cities in the South-South, and the fourth- and fifth-most populous cities, respectively, in the country. Port Harcourt and its suburbs, together called Greater Port Harcourt, form the largest metropolitan area in the zone, with about 3 million people. Other large South-South cities include (in descending order by population) Warri/Uvwie, Calabar, Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Ugep, Sapele, Buguma, Uromi, Ughelli, Ikom, and Asaba.{{cite web |title=Population of Cities in Nigeria (2022) |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/cities/nigeria |website=World Population Review |access-date=11 May 2022}}

History

{{further|History of Nigeria}}

The South-South Region was created from parts of both the Western and Eastern regions of Nigeria in 1997 through the recommendation of the Alex Ekwueme panel, by the national regime of General Sani Abacha.{{Cite book |title=The Future of South-South Economic Relations |date=2012 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9781780323947 |language=en}}

Edo, Delta, one-quarter of Bayelsa, and the Ndoni section of Rivers states were from the old Western region. Three-quarters of the area of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states were from the old Eastern region.{{Cite book |last=Eton |first=Jeremiah E. |title=South-South Co-Operation: A Case of Indo-Nigerian Economic Relations |date=6 June 2006 |publisher=Allied Publishers |isbn=9798184240862 |pages=351 |language=en}}

Tribes in South South Nigeria

Tribes in South South Nigeria incluedes Edo, Esan, Ibibio, Ijaw, Urhobo, Isoko, Efik, Annang, Oron, and Itsekiri among others.

Environment

=Protected areas=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+

style=line-height:1.3

!scope="col" rowspan=2| Protected area

!scope="col" rowspan=2| Location

!scope="col" rowspan=2| Area

scope="row"|Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary

|Northern Cross River State

|104 km2 (40 sq mi)

scope="row"|Afi River Forest Reserve

|Northern Cross River State

|312 km2 (120 sq mi)

scope="row"|Cross River National Park

|Cross River State

|~4,000 km2 (~1544 sq mi)

scope="row"|Edumanom Forest Reserve

|Southeastern Bayelsa State and Southwestern Rivers State

|93.24 km2 (36.00 sq mi)

scope="row"|Mbe Mountains Community Forest

|Northern Cross River State

|86 km2 (33 sq mi)

scope="row"|Ohosu Game Reserve

|Southern Edo State

|471 km2 (182 sq mi)

scope="row"|Okomu Forest Reserve

|Southern Edo State

|1,082 km2 (418 sq mi)

scope="row"|Okomu National Park

|Southern Edo State

|200 km2 (77 sq mi)

Demographics

=Languages=

Administration

=Regional development authorities=

On a federal level, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and its parastatal – the Niger Delta Development Commission – cover the South-South in addition to three other oil-producing states (Abia, Imo, and Ondo). Unlike the development authorities of other zones like the North-East Development Commission, the present authorities are responsible for the areas outside of the South-South as the NDDC was created in response to protests and conflict in the wider Niger Delta region. Nonetheless, the creation of a South-South Development Commission has been repeatedly proposed by some lawmakers in the late 2010s and 2020s, with proponents advocating fairness with the other zones' commissions while opponents deride the proposal as redundant.{{cite web |last1=Baiyewu |first1=Leke |title=Despite NDDC, Reps pass bill creating South-South commission |url=https://punchng.com/despite-nddc-reps-pass-bill-creating-south-south-commission-2/ |website=The Punch |access-date=6 June 2024 |date=18 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong pushes bill for creation of South South development commission |url=https://guardian.ng/news/senator-asuquo-ekpenyong-pushes-bill-for-creation-of-south-south-development-commission/ |website=The Guardian |access-date=6 June 2024 |date=25 February 2024}} The remit of the current development agencies includes ecological protection and infrastructure development; however, both the ministry and commission have long been beset by corruption and mismanagement that has led to the abandonment or failure of many projects.{{cite journal |last1=Akinyoade |first1=Demola |date=March 2017 |title=Doing Both Harm and Good: The Nature, Dynamics and Implications of the Niger Delta Development Commission's (NDDC) Interventions in Odi, Bayelsa State, Nigeria |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48505531 |journal=India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs |volume=73 |issue=1 |pages=53–76 |doi=10.1177/0974928416683057 |jstor=48505531 |url-access=subscription |access-date=30 May 2025 }}{{cite book |last1=Ushie |first1=Ekwuore Monday |last2=Okpa |first2=John Thompson |title=Corruption and Development in Nigeria |date=2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-003-17863-7 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003178637-13/corruption-development-debacle-niger-delta-region-ekwuore-monday-ushie-john-thompson-okpa |access-date=6 June 2024 |chapter=Corruption and the development debacle in the Niger Delta region|doi=10.4324/9781003178637-13 }}{{cite web |title=Grand corruption wrecks Niger delta clean-up |url=https://www.africa-confidential.com/article/id/14152/Grand_corruption_wrecks_Niger_delta_clean-up |website=Africa Confidential |access-date=6 June 2024 |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Igwe |first1=Uche |title=Corruption and mismanagement may derail cleanup of Niger Delta |url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2022/11/22/corruption-and-mismanagement-may-derail-cleanup-of-niger-delta/ |website=Africa at LSE |access-date=6 June 2024 |date=22 November 2022}}{{cite journal |last1=Adeleke |first1=Gabriel Osuolale |title=National Question and Systemic Corruption in the Control of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) |journal=International Journal of Advanced Academic Research |date=April 2022 |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=33–43 |url=https://www.ijaar.org/articles/v8n4/sms/ijaar-v8n4-Apr22-p8410.pdf |access-date=6 June 2024}}

=States and local government areas=

{{main|States of Nigeria|Local government areas of Nigeria}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+

style=line-height:1.3

!scope="col" class="unsortable" rowspan=2| Name

!scope="col" class="unsortable" rowspan=2|Code

!scope="col" class="unsortable" rowspan=2| Seal

!scope="col" class="unsortable" rowspan=2| Location

!scope="col" colspan=2| City

!scope="col" rowspan=2| Local government areas

!scope="col" rowspan=2| Area

!scope="col" rowspan=2| Population
(2019
estimate)[https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/download/1241121 Demographic Statistics Bulletin 2020]

scope="col"|Capital

!scope="col"|Largest

scope="row"|Akwa Ibom

|AK

|50px

|80px

|colspan=2|Uyo

|31

|{{convert|7081|km2|sqmi|abbr=unit|sortable=on}}

|4,780,581

scope="row"|Bayelsa

|BY

|

|80px

|colspan=2|Yenagoa

|8

|{{convert|10773|km2|sqmi|abbr=unit|sortable=on}}

|2,394,725

scope="row"|Cross River

|CR

|50px

|80px

|colspan=2|Calabar

|18

|{{convert|20156|km2|sqmi|abbr=unit|sortable=on}}

|4,175,020

scope="row"|Delta

|DE

|

|80px

|colspan=2|Asaba

|25

|{{convert|17698|km2|sqmi|abbr=unit|sortable=on}}

|5,307,543

scope="row"|Edo

|ED

|50px

|80px

|colspan=2|Benin City

|18

|{{convert|19559|km2|sqmi|abbr=unit|sortable=on}}

|4,461,137

scope="row"|Rivers

|RI

|

|80px

|colspan=2|Port Harcourt

|23

|{{convert|11077|km2|sqmi|abbr=unit|sortable=on}}

|7,034,973

=Politics=

Although the areas that now comprise the South-South were electorally competitive during the first, second, and aborted third republics, every state in the region consistently voted for the nominees of the Peoples Democratic Party in fourth republic presidential elections from 1999 to 2019. After Olusegun Obasanjo won the South-South by substantial margins of victory in 1999 and 2003, Goodluck Jonathan – an indigene of Bayelsa State – expanded PDP margins greatly in 2011 and 2015. However, PDP margins of victory decreased in 2019, when Atiku Abubakar was the party nominee. In 2023, with Abubakar again as the PDP nominee, four South-South states broke their streaks of PDP voting – with Rivers being won by Bola Tinubu (APC) amid widespread irregularities while Cross River, Delta, and Edo voted for Peter Obi (LP).{{cite web |title=Nigeria election: The mystery of the altered results in disputed poll |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/65163713 |website=BBC |access-date=10 June 2024 |date=16 May 2023}}{{cite web |title=Nigeria election results 2023: Up-to-date results of presidential and parliamentary races |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-9ff664e9-8cf9-4948-93e5-3268debcee1b |website=BBC News|access-date=10 June 2024}}

==In presidential elections==

Presidential votes in South-South states in the Fourth Republic:

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
Year

! {{#ifexist:Elections in Akwa Ibom State|Akwa Ibom|Akwa Ibom}}

! {{#ifexist:Elections in Bayelsa State|Bayelsa|Bayelsa}}

! {{#ifexist:Elections in Cross River State|Cross River|Cross River}}

! {{#ifexist:Elections in Delta State|Delta|Delta}}

! {{#ifexist:Elections in Edo State|Edo|Edo}}

! {{#ifexist:Elections in Rivers State|Rivers|Rivers}}

1999

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

2003

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Obasanjo
(PDP)

2007

|colspan=6|N/A{{efn|State-by-state totals were never released by the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2007 amid widespread reports of electoral irregularities and fraud.}}

2011

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

2015

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Jonathan
(PDP)

2019

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Abubakar
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Abubakar
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Abubakar
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Abubakar
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Abubakar
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Abubakar
(PDP)

2023

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Abubakar
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)}}|Abubakar
(PDP)

|{{Party shading/Labour Party (Nigeria)}}|Obi
(LP)

|{{Party shading/Labour Party (Nigeria)}}|Obi
(LP)

|{{Party shading/Labour Party (Nigeria)}}|Obi
(LP)

|{{Party shading/All Progressives Congress}}|Tinubu
(APC)

Notes

{{Notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{coord missing|Nigeria}}

Category:Subdivisions of Nigeria

Category:Elections in Nigeria by state

Category:Geopolitics