North East Governors’ Forum reaffirmed commitment to subregional safety and prosperity.
The Northeast Governors Forum, which includes Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe, will collaborate on economic, social, and security issues.
On November 26, 2023, the Forum’s ninth meeting in Yola, Adamawa’s capital, ended. Six sitting governors in the region attended the conference and respectfully addressed the problems of their lovely people.
In a communiqué read aloud by Mai Mala Bunu of Yobe State, the forum’s chairman, Professor Babagana Zulum, the governor of Borno State, praised member states in the area for improved cooperation and partnership.
The Forum emphasised subregional integration and recommended that each member state assign a cabinet-level representative to supervise it. Subregional environmental deterioration and climate change are serious issues.
It partnered with the Great Green Wall and the Global Initiative for Carbon Credit Financing to support these efforts.
They thanked the Bauchi State Government for organising the Northeast Regional Trade Fair, scheduled for February 26th to March 3rd, 2024. They encouraged regional subnational entities to participate and showcase the region’s cultural, tourist, hospitality, and economic potential to the country, Africa, and the world.
In their 8th meeting in Maiduguri, the Northeast Education Council issued a resolution to domesticate the Education Law 2022 and assessed state compliance. To ease strategic regional integration, I have pushed for governments that have not adopted the law to do so.
Security in the area is improving, but the summit highlighted that member states must collaborate more on security architecture. Thus, it worked with security agencies to create a Northeast safety policy.
A solid foundation for regional economic growth is promoted during the meeting. Residents will cooperate for the benefit of society and the economy. The forum worries about regional infrastructure.
Federal roadways connecting states have been neglected, which is concerning. It asks the Federal Ministry of Works to finish regional road contracts. Poor road infrastructure hurts our people, inhibits growth, and contributes to regional instability.
According to the forum, contractual obligations on poor federal routes inside and between states inhibit regional infrastructure development.
It recommends the Federal Ministry of Works, state governments, and NEDC work together to remove bottlenecks and find better road options.
Each state’s governor has chosen Shanghai Electric to build a 60 MW coal or 50 MW solar power plant to boost energy production. The forum laments the region’s inadequate train network.
According to the analysis, repairing ancient gauge train lines is impossible and pointless. They want the region included in the National Road Plan and the Nigerian National Railway Transport Plan, which uses modern gauge rail. The tenth Bauchi conference, slated for February 23–March 26, 2024, was chosen.