The governors of the six North-eastern states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe have resolved to stem increasing criminal activities in the region.
Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State disclosed this while briefing newsmen at the end of the forum’s closed-door meeting on Thursday night in Gombe.
Yahaya said the forum met on the challenges facing the sub-region and to proffer solutions toward resolving them.
He said that the forum would direct the Attorney-Generals of all the states to look into the possibilities of enhancing security in the sub-region within the ambit of law.
“We have realised that other states have individual laws governing security management and we have also realised the need for a collaborative understanding because of activities of criminals in border communities.
“To avoid a conflict in those laws and the need to operate within the ambit of the law; we have seen the need to have a clear understanding and a collaborative effort,” he said.
According to the host governor, the forum also made resolutions that cut across other sectors in the sub-region especially in power, agriculture, environment and water.
Yahaya said the forum agreed to look into agriculture potential of the region while conducting a base-line study for a robust agricultural value chain in order to enhance food security.
For power, he stated that the forum agreed to look at the possibilities of regional power generation while pledging support for Mambilla hydropower project to improve productivity in the sub-region.
While commending the Federal Government for establishing a commission for the region, Yahaya, however, stated that the forum decried the state of the Lake Chad.
“We call on the Federal Government to come up with comprehensive water resource management that will fast-track water transfer process from the Congo River,” he said.
According to Yahaya, the forum agreed to establish a technical working committee to implement all actions agreed upon.
He hinted that the Northeast governors’ forum would be held quarterly and the next meeting would be in April in Maiduguri, Borno.(NAN)
