The six Northeast Governors; have yesterday pledged to secure the region from Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorism and various criminal activities.
According to the governors, the renewed commitments; to enhance
security, was to mitigate terrorism and other forms of criminal
activities in the region.
The decade long Boko Haram insurgency has also claimed 36,000 lives
and about $9 billion (N3.24 trillions) property in Borno, Adamawa and
Yobe states.
Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe made the pledges Thursday, while
briefing journalists on governors’ closed-door security meeting held
at Government House, Gombe, the state capital.
“We’re fully committed to enhance security of lives and property in
this region,” he declared.
He said the Gombe maiden meeting of the forum; had brainstormed on
challenges facing the region with sole aim of proffering solutions
towards resolving them once and for all.
While speaking on goals of meeting, Yahaya said, “The forum would
direct the Attorney-Generals of all the states to look into the
possibilities of enhancing security in the region within the ambit of
law.
“We have realised that individual states have peculiar laws governing
security management and we have also realised the need for a
collaborative understanding because of activities of criminals in
border communities.
“To avoid a conflict in those laws and the need to operate within the
purview of the law; there is the need to have a clear understanding
and a collaborative effort to achieve desired goals and objectives.”
Accordingly, the governor said that the forum also made resolutions
that cut across other sectors in the region; especially in the
critical sectors of Power, Agriculture, Environment and Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
Continued; “We have agreed to look into agricultural potential of the
region while conducting a base-line study for a robust agricultural
value chain in order to enhance food security.”
He also disclosed that in the power sector, the forum agreed to look
at the possibilities of regional power generation; while pledging
support for Mambilla Hydro-power project.
According to him, the completion of electricity power projects, could
also improve productivities in various economic sectors of sub-region.
While commending the Federal Government for establishing a development
commission for region, Yahaya, however, lamented on the “poor state
and receding” of Lake Chad by 90 per cent.
He therefore, called on the Federal Government; to come up with
comprehensive water resource management that will fast-track water
transfer process from the Congo River.
On the part of Governors, he said: “Our forum has agreed to establish
a technical working committee to implement all actions agreed upon.”
He also disclosed that the Northeast Governors’ Forum (NEGF) would be
held quarterly and the next meeting slated for April in Maiduguri, the
Borno state capital.
