Governors of the Northeast on Thursday met in the Adamawa State capital, Yola, with insurgency and kidnapping topping the list in their agenda.
This was evident in speeches delivered by host Governor Ahmadu Fintiri who called on his colleagues to rally against issues that set the subregion back, including kidnapping.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the forum, Fintiri also appealed to his colleagues to save the region from low rating indicators.
He spoke on the need to work for emptying of camps currently occupied by internally displaced persons (IDPs) through an intensified fight against insurgency.
He called for collaborative effort against kidnapping in the region to allow people farmers work without fear of being kidnapped.
“There is so much we can achieve if we work together,” Fintiri concluded.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State who attended the meeting as Chairman of the North East Governor’s Forum identified insecurity as the most alarming common concern in the region.
“The most worrisome challenge confronting us remains the daunting issue of insecurity which has been causing excruciating loss of lives and property in the subregion.
“And the most devastating security challenge is the seemingly unending Boko Haram phenomenon which has a destructive effect on the socio-economic life of our people and which has inevitably displaced hundreds of thousands of people from across the North East,” Governor Zulum said.
He, like host Governor Fintiri, expressed the belief that together, the region’s common problems could be tackled if approached collectively.
Zulum said, “Your Excellencies, the challenges we face collectively and individually are enormous but not insurmountable, especially if we approach the challenges in a concerted manner.”
The meeting in Yola came as the third in a series of meetings of the North East Governors Forum since its inaugural meeting in Gombe in March 2020 and the second held in Maiduguri in August.
The meeting was attended by Governors Bala Mohammed and Inuwa Yahaya of Bauchi and Gombe States respectively.
Governor Ishaku Darius of Taraba State was represented by his Deputy, Engr Haruna Manu, while Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State was also represented by his D, Idi Gubana.
