North-east Govs Reaffirms Commitment to Tackle Insecurity, Pursue Social, Economic Integration

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi and Daji Sani in Yola

The North-East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) has reaffirmed its commitment to foster a common ground and pursue a collective course on matters of security, and social and economic integration of the region.

Similarly, the forum noted that climate change and environmental degradation are still major issues affecting the sub-region, and therefore resolved to strengthen its collaboration with all initiatives such as the Great Green Wall and the Global Initiative of Carbon Credit financing.

This is contained in a communique issued yesterday at the end of the 9th Meeting of NEGF held in Yola, Adamawa State.

The communique, which was signed by the Chairman NEGF and Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, also noted that although the security situation is improving positively in the region, there is a need for more collaboration among member states in the design of the security architecture for the region.

 It resolved to work more with the security agencies to have a common security roadmap for the North-east.

According to the forum, there is a need for a robust platform for regional economic development.

It thus resolved to work as an entity in strengthening the human capacity and socio-economic development of its people.

“Forum appraised the compliance of the states with the decision earlier taken at the eighth meeting in Maiduguri to domesticate the Education Law 2022, as recommended by the North-east Education Council. It thus called on states that are yet to domesticate the law to do so as a matter of strategic regional integration.

“Forum is continuously disturbed about the poor infrastructural base of the region. More concerned that the federal roads within and between the states in the region have been neglected. It thus calls on the Federal Ministry of Works to follow through with road contracts awarded in the region. Poor road network is fuelling insecurity and stalling development and making life more difficult for our people in the region.”

The communique further noted that the contractual encumbrances on some of the bad federal roads within and between the states are major setbacks to the infrastructural development of the region. 

It then called on the North-east Development Council (NEDC) to work with state governments and the Federal Ministry of Works to remove the encumbrances and find more practical ways to intervene on these roads.

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

The NEGF also noted with dismay the poor rail system in the region, saying that the repairs on the old gauge rail lines are not useful. 

The forum therefore called for the 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 equally noted with appreciation, the readiness of the Bauchi State Government to host the North-east Regional Trade Fair in the first quarter of 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.

The NEGF comprises the governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states.