…Northern Govs plan expanded meeting with stakeholders to tackle regional challenges
The Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has reaffirmed the collective concerns of northern governors regarding the rising insecurity in the region, and emphasised strong commitment to partnering key stakeholders to tackle the issue effectively.
The governor restated this on Monday while receiving a comprehensive report of the Coalition of Northern Groups put together by the experts’ committee on insecurity in Northern Nigeria as part of the outcomes of the recently conducted roundtable meeting held in Abuja.
Yahaya noted the growing impact of insecurity on the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians, particularly in the agricultural sector, which has led to hike in food prices affecting not only the Northern states but the entire nation.
He emphasised that the governors are committed to tackling the insecurity that has plagued the region, which has hindered farming activities, exacerbated the inflation of food commodities and general economic challenges faced by the country.
“As Governors, we are deeply concerned about the security situation in Northern Nigeria. This region has the largest portion of the country’s population and is endowed with mineral resources and fertile soil ideal for farming. The region’s agricultural strength plays a significant role in ensuring food security in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the current insecurity is disrupting these activities, contributing to the rising cost of food commodities, which affects all Nigerians, not just those in the North,” the governor stated.
As part of the NSGF’s response under his leadership, Governor Yahaya announced plans to convene an expanded meeting which will bring together all relevant stakeholders, including past and present leaders, traditional rulers, security chiefs, and civil society organisations, to discuss and implement strategies aimed at restoring the glory of the region.
“This time around, we want to take a collective approach to the insecurity issue. This report is timely. We will study it and work together towards its implementation. We are currently planning to convene an expanded meeting with all critical stakeholders in the region to further explore how we can come together to propose solutions that will genuinely address these problems completely,” the governor said.
Governor Yahaya also commended the leadership of the CNG for its detailed analysis, acknowledging their role in addressing the region’s most pressing issues.
Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and Chairman of the Committee of Experts on security component of the CNG, Bashir Ibrahim, explained that the report presented to Governor Yahaya is a culmination of a long and painstaking process looking at the changing faces of insecurity in Northern Nigeria with a view to proffering workable solutions.
Highlighting some content of the report, he acknowledged the imperative of All Society Approach introduced by the group which will establish synergy among stakeholders across the spectrum of Northern Nigeria in tackling insecurity.
He said the group has already submitted the same report to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the office of the National Security Adviser NSA for onward processing.
While acknowledging the peace and tranquility of Gombe State, the leader of the delegation however, explained that no state is totally immune from criminal activities so long as contiguous states are confronted with incidences of crime and criminality.
