The Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) has approved the appointment of former Plateau State Government Secretary, Mr Ezekiel Gomos, as Director-General of its Secretariat, marking a major step in repositioning the Forum for stronger regional collaboration.
The appointment was announced by NSGF Chairman and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Yahaya, who presented Gomos with his appointment letter. Governor Yahaya said the decision reflects the Forum’s resolve to build a more effective institutional mechanism for addressing shared challenges across the 19 northern states.
According to a statement issued by Ismaila Uba Misilli, Director-General Press Affairs to the Gombe State Governor, the creation of the DG position is “a strategic step towards repositioning the Secretariat as a more effective hub for policy coordination, collective action and long-term development planning.”
The statement described Gomos as “an accomplished development economist and policy expert with a distinguished career spanning public service, governance reform, private-sector development and human capital advancement.”
Gomos has held senior roles in key institutions such as the New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). He also served as Lead Consultant and Head of Faculty at the Jos Business School, a centre focused on leadership training, entrepreneurship development and policy dialogue.
“For nearly two decades, Mr. Gomos has served as a resource person at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, contributing to the training of senior leaders across Nigeria in policy, strategy and national development,” the statement added.
The new DG holds degrees from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the University of East Anglia, UK. His numerous international honours include the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship at the University of Minnesota, the British Chevening Scholarship, and a UNDP Fellowship at the ILO Training Centre in Turin. He has also attended executive programmes at Harvard Kennedy School, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Durham University Business School.
While presenting the appointment letter, Governor Yahaya urged Gomos to bring his extensive experience to bear on the Forum’s operations. He charged him to strengthen the Secretariat into a dynamic platform for “collective security coordination, regional economic cooperation and sustainable development across the North.”
The NSGF Chairman expressed confidence that the appointment would deepen synergy among the northern states. He said the Forum anticipates “a new era of improved coordination and more coherent regional responses to the North’s most critical challenges.”
