The Governors, of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states, made the call in a communique released at the end of their meeting in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, Saturday.
The meeting, which is a follow up to the first one held March in Gombe, hosted by Governor Inuwa Yahaya, also resolved that the states of the zone would “work together to foster regional integration, growth and development especially in exploitation of its oil and gas potentials, mineral resources, agriculture and industrialization.”
Borno Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, who was named the Chairman of the Forum for the next two years, started receiving the governors from Friday afternoon till Saturday when the meeting held.
The opening ceremony was held at the Government House in Maiduguri after which the governors went into a closed door session.
Present were governors of Adamawa, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri; Bauchi, Bala Mohammed and Gombe, Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya. Taraba and Yobe states were represented by their deputy governors.
Zulum, in his remarks, laid emphasis on security challenges facing the region, problems of unemployment, over dependence on federal allocation and how to move the region forward.
The governors, in addition to discussing security and development issues, received presentations from the Northeast Development Commission, NEDC led by its managing director; Lafarge Ashaka also by its managing director; the GMD NNPC; the AIGP Zone 15 Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Army by the theatre commander 7 Division.
Before Saturday’s meeting, a technical committee comprising Secretaries of Governments from the six states and focal persons from the NEDC had deliberated for four days to come up with an agenda.
The team, chaired by the SSG, Gombe state, Professor Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi met Governor Zulum to brief him ahead of the general meeting.
Full text of the communique reads:
COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF
2ND MEETING OF THE NORTH EAST GOVERNORS’ FORUM HELD IN MAIDUGURI ON SATURDAY, 8TH AUGUST, 2020
The communiqué was read by the forum’s newly elected chairman, Governor Zulum of Borno
PREAMBLE:
The Executive Governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States under the auspices of North East Governors’ Forum held its 2nd meeting in Maiduguri, Borno State and discussed the challenges facing the sub-region and resolved to issue the following communique:
1. The Forum commends the effort of the Federal Government of Nigeria in fighting the insurgency. However, the Armed Forces should intensify effort to secure hard-to-reach areas in the region and ensure safe access to farm lands.
2. The Forum called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure the deployment of state of the art military hard ware to the region.
3. The Forum recommends that the manpower deficit in the Nigerian Armed Forces should be bridged by allowing the Police to carry state of the art weapons where necessary and be provided with strategic equipment like high velocity tear gas, trackers and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC).
4. The Forum calls on the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to ensure that attention is given to recharging the Lake Chad from National water bodies and strengthen the river basins in the sub region.
5. The Forum pledges to work together to foster regional integration, growth and development especially in exploitation of its oil and gas potentials, mineral resources, agriculture and industrialization.
6. The Forum called on the Federal Government to revoke selected roads contracts awarded by Federal Ministry of Works for years without progress and re-award same to more competent contractors and fund to ensure timely execution.
7. The Forum urged the Federal Government to ensure local content in the execution of the Mambila Hydro electric power project and other programmes of the North East Development Commission to ensure synergy with state governments.
8. The Forum supports the management and Board of the North East Development Commission and agreed to work together in producing comprehensive strategic Master Plan for the region that will ensure sustainable development.
9. The Forum affirmed its commitment to support the Federal Government agenda of transforming the Almajiri system with a view to strengthening both Islamic and western education as well as stopping street begging and prevalence of out of school children in the region as agreed by the Northern Governors.
10. The Forum also nominated Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, MNSE, mni, Executive Governor of Borno State as Chairman of the Forum for a period of two years and the Headquarters of the Forum will be located in Maiduguri, Borno State.
11. The next meeting of the Forum comes up on November 7th 2020 in Yola, Adamawa State.
