Governor Babagama Umara Zulum of Borno state has appealed to the governors of the North-East region, as a matter of importance, to keep aside their differences and fuse their heads together in the overall interest of the region to explore the abundant agricultural and solid materials resources that are untapped in the region.
Zulum also charged his colleagues to come out with a formidable framework to address the lingering security challenges in the north-east, particularly the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, almajiri, rustling, armed robbery and other social vices bedeviling the region.
The governor made the appeal when he played host to the second North-East State Governors’ Forum Summit in Maiduguri at the weekend.
He said: “It is desirable for the Technical Committee of the NESGF of the 6 states of the north-east to come up with ways on how we can address and contain the security situation in the north east. I commend the NESGF Technical Committee .”
“Without the vigilante groups and hunters assisting the military, I wonder how the security situation could have consumed the entire north east territory. Insurgency has affected socio-economic activities of the northeast in more than 10 years.
“Unless we stand up to see that the insurgency is completely eliminated . We have to use the vigilante groups, the hunters in assisting the military to end the Insurgency once and for all.
“We need to disseminate and destroy the offenders. This actually has to reach out to the Insurgents who have destroyed our socio-economic activities.”
Zulum added that as a forum, there was the need for the Governors to compel themselves to prioritize and explore the solid minerals in the region.
According to him, the forum should intensify efforts to develop and improve on the Facilities in the region to ensure that basic infrastructures that are concentrated in the region which are dilapidated are rehabilitated to boost economic activities .
“As a forum, there is the compelling need if we are to achieve our noble objectives to prioritize and explore oil and solid.mineral potentials abundant in the region .
“We have to intensify capacity building of our youths to meet up with the manpower challenges of handling the staff need of our industries.
“On infrastructures, we need to concentrate on the rehabilitation of the dilapidated roads within the north east, to resuscitates the economic activities of the region.
“We must also be on the same page and cross carpet our differences and interest. We have to.maintain continuous momentum and continue regular checks in our destiny,” Zulum said.
He further urged the North East State Governors to support and encourage youths in the region through job Creation and training especially, in engineering to handle the ailing industries and potentials the region is endowed with to create more jobs and enhance socio-economic development of the region.
The governor enjoined the North East Governors to deliberate on the challenges of the north east and proffer solutions to resolve the security issues among other daunting challenges.
While soliciting for the unparalleled and unalloyed commitment and determination of the North East Governors Forum, he noted that, the Technical Committee should be encouraged to frame out the unending and daunting issues of security challenges of the region such as Insurgency, kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry, rustling, youths unemployment and Almajiri to be addressed.
Zulum also charged his colleagues to be committed and determined to resuscitate the ailing industries located in the region while calling on them to maintain the momentum of holding regular meetings to review the socio-Economic challenges of the north east region.
The one-day NESGF was expected to come out with a communique on the way forward for the north east region especially, the issue of security, poor infrastructure, untapped potentials in the region and ailing industries among others.
However, among the six expected State Governors, the Taraba State Governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku and Yobe State Govenror, Mai Mala Buni absent but sent in their deputies while Borno, Bauchi , Gombe and Adamawa States Governor: Babagama Umara Zulum, Dr. Bala Mohammed , Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya and Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, respectively, were present.
North East Development Commission (NEDC) Managing Director, Goni’ Mohammed Alkali, Lafarge Ashiiko Managing Director, NNPC Group Managing Director, Alh. Meleh Kyari, Nigeria Police Force AIGP Zone 15 and Nigerian Army Theater Commander, Operation Lafiyà Dole, were expected to make presentations during the closed door technical session of the NESGF second summit. SADIQ ABUBAKAR, National Accord reporting for;
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