Rebecca Mu’azu, Gombe
The Northeast Governors Forum has ended its 3rd meeting in Yola, Adamawa State with a call on the Federal Government to make the Mambilla Hydro Project a matter of serious priority.
The call is contained in their resolutions after the meeting in Yola, Adamawa State, where Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, on behalf of his colleagues, noted that 2021 Budgetary Proposals lacked budgetary provision, thereby calling on the Federal Government to resolve all encumbrances around the Mambilla Hydro project and order action on site.
Similarly, the North East Governors called for the immediate reactivation and review of the existing comatose state of the road contracts in the sub-region.
“Forum notes that the Sub-region has been unfairly treated in the provision of roads infrastructure by the Federal Ministry of Works & Housing. It further noted with dismay the slow or outright non-existent progress on the pace of the roads already allocated in the sub-region and calls for the immediate reactivation and review of the comatose existing road contracts in the sub-region,” said the North East Governors’ Forum.
Security
The Governors, comprising of those of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and the Deputy Governors of Taraba and Yobe States, deliberated on the major security challenges facing the sub-region and resolved to strengthen community policing and action to complement efforts of security agencies.
They commended the effort of the security agencies in the sub-region, which they said had brought relative improvement in the security situation in the sub-region, but noted that the activities of Boko Haram, bandits, cattle rustlers and kidnappers still remained a serious threat to sustainable development.
Education/Agric
The North East Governors’ Forum have also agreed to form the Northeast Council on Education and adopt a regional approach by being deliberate on transforming education, especially at the basic level.
Similarly, they reaffirmed their commitment to enforce the Universal Basic Education Commission Law to protect and ensure that all children have an opportunity to acquire basic education.
The forum resolved to engage the Arewa Research and Development Project for the provision of technical support in key areas of development, such as Agriculture and Education.
It also resolved to pursue vigorously the issue of securing admission for its candidates in Nigerian tertiary institutions to fill its quota.
They particularly called on the North East Development Commission to expedite action on the development of the Northeast Strategic Master Plan and ensure that projects are demand-driven to guarantee its impact and accountability.
The North East Governors, however, frowned at a situation where projects are imposed on the States without due consultation.
Gender-Based Violence
The North East Governors’ Forum called for the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015 and ensure the rapid dispensation of justice on gender-based violence, noting that gender-based violence was a major nuisance in the sub-region.
The North East governors agreed to appoint Special Advisers on Regional Integration, because of the need for sub-regional integration on significantly cross-cutting issues that could mutually be beneficial to States within the region.
Post-Covid economy
After critically examining the status of the post-COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Package of 2.3 Trillion Naira, the North East Governors praised the Federal Government for the noble Initiative, but solicited for equitable and fair treatment, especially in view of the economic and social challenges facing the sub-region.
The next meeting of the Forum is scheduled to hold from 3rd – 4th of March, 2021 in at Bauchi.
Nnenna.O
