GOVERNORS of the 19 Northern states Wdnesday cried out that the economy of the region was collapsing following the spate of insecurity, just as they stressed that the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR from the zone was now too poor.
 |
| The Lamidon Adamawa, Barkindo Aliyu Mustafa, the Chairman of Northern Governors Forum Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu; Governor of Nassarawa State, Umar Tanko Almakura and Capt. Idris Wada of Kogi State during the inauguration of the Northern States Governor’s Committee on Reconciliation Healing and Security, at the Niger State Governors Lodge Asokoro, Abuja. 22-08-2012 |
The governors have also warned that the North would continue to witness disintegration following incessant ethnic and religious differences if issues relating to religious extremism, intolerance and mutual respect were not tackled by the leaders and people of the region.
Also, as part of moves to tackle the incessant killings and wanton destruction of property occasioned by activities of members of the Boko Haram sect, the governors under the aegis, Northern States Governors Forum, NSGF, yesterday inaugurated a committee on reconciliation, healing and security.
Inaugurating the 40-member committee made up of traditional rulers, retired military officers, academics, businessmen and former public officers, Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, stressed that the recurring insecurity challenges in the North and around the country posed serious threat to national stability, unity and development.
He, however, called on members of the committee to look at reports and other white papers such as; reports of the Wammako-led Northern Governors’ Committee on security; report of Northern States Attorneys-General; Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, report on post-election violence probe; Galtimari report on security challenges in North Eastern Nigeria; and General Abdusalami Abubakar and Maitama Sule report, among others to guide them in their work.
Inaugurate 40-man committee
The 40-man committee which is headed by Ambassador Zakari Ibrahim with Nde Joshua Dimlong (Ngolong Ngas) as Deputy and Iliya Ithuve and Hajiya Saudatu Mahdi as Secretary and Deputy Secretary respectively, is particularly charged to ensure that peace and development in the North was not compromised.
Aliyu who noted that “poverty, unemployment, youth restiveness and violence were manifestations of the rejection of the core values of honesty, equity, fairness and justice in the Nigerian society”, told members of the committee to synthesise every report, white paper, communiqué of conferences or commissions of enquiry into the insecurity situation in the nation, particularly in the northern states, with a view to giving them actionable and practicable proposals that would help tackle issues at the family, ward, local government, state levels and National levels.
Source: Vanguard
