The six Governors of the Northeast region; have yesterday called on
Federal Government to incorporate the Nigerian police in the ongoing
fight against Boko Haram terrorism.
The over decade long insurgency, has claimed 36,000 lives with the
destruction of $9 billion (N3.42 trillion) worth of property in Borno,
Adamawa and Yobe states.
They made the call Sunday in an 11-point communique singed by Chairman
of North East Governors’ Forum (NEGF), Governor Babagana Zulum of
Borno state, in Maiduguri.
While speaking at yesterday’s concluded meeting, the Governors said:
“We wanted the federal government to allow the Police to be armed with
high calibre rifles like those of the military for effective fighting
to end this war.
According to them, the manpower deficit in the Nigerian Armed Forces
should be bridged by allowing the Police to carry state of the art
weapons where necessary.
“The Police should be provided with strategic equipment like high
velocity tear gas, trackers and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC),”
demanded the Governors in the communique.
On Saturday, the Executive Governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe,
Taraba and the Yobe states met in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital;
where they examined the challenges facing the sub-region to issue
Sunday’s communique.
While commending efforts of Federal Government in fighting terrorism,
the Governors however; said that the military should intensify effort
to secure hard-to-reach areas in the region and ensure safe access to
farmlands.
On how to end terrorism, they said: “We called on the Federal
Government to ensure the deployment of state of art military hardware
to the region,” noting that the manpower deficit in the Nigerian Armed
Forces; should also be bridged by allowing what they described as, “to
carry the state of art weapons; where necessary and be provided with
strategic equipment, including high-velocity tear gas, trackers and
Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC).
While lamenting the receding of Lake Chad, the forum said: “We also
called on Federal Ministry of Water Resources to ensure that attention
is being accorded to recharge receding Lake from the National water
bodies,” adding this could strengthen the river basins in the six
riparian states.
The Forum also pledged to work together to foster regional
integration, growth and development.
It noted that regional integration could also facilitate the
exploitation of oil and gas, mineral resources, agriculture and
industrialization.
The Governors also urged federal government to revoked selected
awarded road contracts that were not executed, to be re-awarded and
funded to competent contractors to complete them on time.
On completion of Mambilla power project, the forum urged the federal
government to ensure local content in the completion of Mambilla
Hydroelectric power project and other programmes of North East
Development Commission (NECD).
“These will ensure synergy with the six state governments,” noted the
Governors, adding that they agreed to work with Commission in
producing a comprehensive strategic Master Plan for the region to
sustain contiguous development of sub-region.
On transforming the Almajiri system, they said: “We affirmed our
commitments to support Federal Government agenda on transforming the
Almajiri system.
“This will strengthen both Islamic and Western education as well as
stop street begging and increasing out of school children in the
region as agreed by the Northern Governors.”
The Forum, therefore also nominated Prof. Babagana Zulum, the Governor
of Borno State as Chairman of the Forum for two years.
It said that the headquarters of the Forum has been relocated from
Gombe to Maiduguri in Borno state.
The next meeting of the Forum, is slated for November 7, 2020 in Yola,
the Adamawa state capital.
