Northeast Governors to design a new roadmap to tackle insecurity

….worry over issues of climate change and environmental degradation affecting the region

….blame FG for poor infrastructural roads in the region

By Tom Garba

The Governors of North Eastern part of Nigeria in its 9th meeting agreed to design a new roadmap and a new architecture to tackle the issues of insecurity challenges that have been bedeviling the region.

The governors who met in Yola on Saturday and reinstated their commitment to foster a common ground and pursue collective course on matters of security, social and economic integration of the region.

At the end of the meeting, the Forum issued a communique and presented the issues of regional concern that although the security situation is improving positively in the region, there is need for more collaboration among member states in the design of the security architecture for the region.

It thus, resolved to work more with the security agencies to have a common security roadmap for the North East.

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The communique which was read by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni and signed by its Chairman and Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, CON, mni, FNSE reiterated the need for subregional integration and resolved that each member state should take up the matter with more seriousness by assigning such responsibility to an appointee with a cabinet status.

The North East Governors’ Forum (NEGF), comprising the Governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States expressed delight at the growing strength of cooperation and collaboration among member states in the region.

The forum worried over the issues of Climate Change and Environmental degradation as major issues affecting the subregion, and resolved to strengthen its collaboration with all initiatives such as the Great Green Wall and the Global Initiative of Carbon Credit financing.

In the communique, the Governors appreciated the readiness of the Bauchi State Government to host the North East Regional Trade Fair between 26th February – 3rd March, 2024 and called on all the subnational entities within the region to actively participate in the fair while inviting the nation, Africa and the world to come and experience the rich culture, tourism potentials, hospitality, and economic opportunities that abound in the region.

While appraising the compliance of the states with the decision earlier taken at the 8th meeting in Maiduguri to domesticate the Education Law 2022, as recommended by the Northeast Education Council. The Governors forum called on states that are yet to domesticate the Law to do so as a matter of strategic regional integration.

The Governors Forum noted the need for a robust platform for regional economic development. It thus, resolved to work as an entity in strengthening the human capacity and socio-econmic development of its people.

The Governors Forum In the communique continuously disturbed about the poor infrastructural base of the region, they registered their concerned how the Federal roads within and between the states in the region have been neglected.

The Forum called on the Federal Ministry of Works to follow through with road contracts awarded in the region. As according to them Poor road network is fuelling insecurity and stalling development and making life more difficult for their people in the region.

The Governors Forum noted that the contractual encumberances on some of the bad federal roads within and between the States are major setbacks to the infrastructural development of the region. It therefore called on the NEDC to work with State Governments and the Federal Ministry of Works to remove the emcumberances and find more practical ways to intervene on these roads.

“Forum has noted the poor energy situation in the region. To mitigate the situation, Forum resolved to work with Shanghai Electric to construct 60 MW Coal Power Plant or 50 MW Solar Power Plant in each State of the region.

“Forum notes with dismay the poor rail system in the region. It equally notes that the repairs on the old gauge rail lines is not useful and sustainable technology. Forum calls for inclusion of the region into the Nigerian National Railway Transport Plan using the Modern Guage rail and the National Road plan that the region is conspicuously missing.

“The Forum resolved to hold the 10th Meeting in Bauchi between 23rd February – 26th March, 2024.” The communique read.