The six northeast Governors have held their 6th meeting of North East Governor Forum in Damaturu the Yobe state capital.
The Yobe state governor Maimala Buni in his welcome speech, welcomed his counterparts from Borno, Gombe whereas Adamawa, Bauchi and Taraba were represented by their deputies.
The governor reaffirmed his commitment to the objectives of the forum. He outlined some of the success recorded by the Nigerian military and stressed the need to sustain the commitment hence his total commitment to realise the vision of the North-East Governors forum
The Chairman of the forum, the governor of Borno Proffessor Babagana Umara Zulum, while giving his welcome remarks, thanked the Yobe state governor for the warm reception accorded to him and his entourage, Zulum also gave an overview of the forum’s activities, and reassured the public of the forum’s commitment to ensuring peace and stability of the geo-political zone.
He said, “ I want to call on the Nigerian military to reach into the enclaves of the insurgents (who are not ready to lay down their arms), we must pursue them. For us to get rid of this crisis, we have to ensure that the remnants of the insurgents are pursued to their enclaves and neutralized.”
After hours of deliberation, the Northeast Governors issued a five-point communique which was read by Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State.
1.The Forum, noted the significant improvement in the security situation in the sub-region as evidenced by the mass surrender of Boko Haram fighters and commended the Federal Government for its various initiatives towards stabilising the sub region.
However, the Forum urged for the establishment of a sustainable programme for the handling of the repentant terrorists. The Forum noted that kidnapping and farmer-herder clashes amongst others are worrisome in the sub-region and resolved to undertake the necessary measures to curtail the menace.
2. The Forum deliberated on a presentation by the Hon. Minister of Power on planned and on-going Power Projects in the North East which highlighted the challenges of steady power supply to the sub-region and noted with dismay the near one year lack of electricity in Maiduguri and its environs. It urged the Federal Government to urgently find a lasting solution. The Forum further raised concerns over the non- commissioning of the Dadin Kowa and kashimbila hydro-power plants which is stalling development of the sub-region, and appealed to the Federal Government to increase its investments in the sub-region to guarantee peace and economic prosperity.
3. The Forum deliberated extensively on the Mambilla Hydroelectric project. It called on the National Assembly and the Federal Government to make adequate budgetary provision in the 2022 appropriation bill for the implementation of the project.
4. The Forum, while recognizing that the 2022 budget is in its final stages, calls on the National Assembly to look critically at the sub-region with a view to ensuring that adequate budgetary provisions are made for all major capital projects in the Sub region.
5. The Forum resolved to have its next meeting from 9th to 11th March 2022 at Gombe, Gombe State.
Nnenna.O
