Northeast: NEGF expresses delight over cordial relationship
North East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) has expressed delight at the growing strength of the cooperation, collaboration and cordial relationship amongst the Governors of the six States of the region.
The NEGF gave this expression in a communique read by the Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe on Friday in Gombe at the end of the 7th Meeting of the Forum.
The Northeast Governors’ Forum (NEGF), comprising the Governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno Gombe, Taraba and the Yobe States, reiterated its commitment to foster common ground and pursue a collective course for the benefit of the region.
The Forum, lauded President Muhammadu Buhari and the security agencies for the effort in combating the Boko haram insurgency, noting the improvement in the security situation in the region which had largely been achieved through kinetic and non-kinetic measures.
According to the Forum, the relative peace being experienced in the subregion, especially the reduced incidences of Farmer-herder clashes, is encouraging.
NEGF, however, stressed that there was the increasing vulnerability of the region to insecurity due to the mass movement of the bandits who are gradually being pushed out of the Northwest by the security forces.
On the influx of the bandits, the Forum said that there was an urgent need to launch a coordinated security road map in conjunction with the security agencies and the Federal Government.
The Forum expressed concern on the poor state of power supply in the north-east region, which at present receives less than 5% of the national allocation of grid energy while accounting for 14% of the population and 30% of the landmass.
While noting the direct correlation between energy security and a high level of poverty and the region’s GDP status, it called on the Federal Government to introduce innovative strategies by investing in the production of comparatively cheaper hydropower and renewable energy.
NEGF noted the need to harness the vast untapped resources of the subregion by fostering integration in commerce as well as holding trade fairs with a view to attracting foreign investments, urging the North-east Council of Chambers of Commerce to revive the Northeast Joint Trade Fair and commodity markets to stimulate economic activities.
While appreciating the Federal Government for establishing the University of Health Sciences, in Azare to address the huge manpower deficit in the health sector and pledged to support the University to deliver on its mandate, NEGF expressed grave concern about the devastating effect of flooding which is destroying homes and livelihood including road infrastructures.
The Forum, therefore, called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency direct its relevant agencies to immediately deploy all necessary interventions to ameliorate the situation in the affected areas.
