MAIDUGURU, North-East, Nigeria – The North-East Governors’ Forum, has unanimously elected Borno Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, as it pioneer chairman for a period of two years.
This is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the Forum’s second meeting held on Saturday, August 8, 2020 in Maiduguri
According to the communique, the meeting was attended by governors of Adamawa, Ahmadu Fintiri; Gombe, Mohammed Yahaya; Borno, Prof Babagana Zulum, Bauchi, Sen. Bala Mohammed; Deputy Governors of Taraba, Engr Haruna Manu; and Yobe, Idi Barde Gubana.
The Forum resolved to make Maiduguri it headquarters, and also scheduled their third meeting for November 7, 2020 in Yola, Adamawa state.
At the end of the second meeting the Forum resolved as follows:
“The Forum commended the effort of the Federal Government of Nigeria in fighting insurgency. However, the Armed Forces should intensify effort to secure hard-to-reach areas in the region and ensure safe access to farm lands.
“The Forum called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure the deployment of state of the art military hard ware to the region.
“The Forum recommended 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).
“The Forum called 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.
“The Forum pledged to work together to foster regional integration, growth and development especially in exploitation of its oil and gas potentials, mineral resources, agriculture and industrialization.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”