By Ndahi Marama, Damaturu

Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state has hosted all his counterparts at the 11th North East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) meeting which took place on Thursday in Damaturu the state capital.

The meeting which is routine, is to provide a better platform of engagement with stakeholders to deliberate on the lingering Boko Haram conflict bedevilling the six states.

In his welcome remarks, Governor Buni expressed deep appreciation to his colleagues from Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba states, and other stakeholders for honouring the invitation to Damaturu.

The Chief Host said, the occasion will provide a platform to deliberate, reflect and take far reaching decisions for, and on behalf of the people of the region to promote peace, security, and prosperity.

His words: ” It is with a high sense of honour and fulfilment that I welcome my dear brothers and compatriots, Your Excellencies, the Executive Governors of Borno, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba and Bauchi states to the 11th North East Governors’ Forum meeting holding here in Damaturu the Yobe state capital. Your second home.

“I am also pleased to welcome our Distinguished and Honourable Members of the National Assembly here present, Secretaries to the government of the respective member states, the Director General North East Governors forum, local and international Development Partners, Civil Society Organizations, the secretariat staff, and everyone here for this occasion.

“Your presence at this meeting underscores your firm commitment to the ideals of the North Eastern States, and the efforts of the forum towards building a lasting peace, security, stability and economic growth of the sub-region.

“It is gratifying that over the years, the forum has built strong relationships, and advanced regional cooperation among the member states, providing a common platform to collectively pursue common interests.

“As we settle down to commence this important meeting, it is an opportunity for us to review the resolutions of our previous meetings, reflect on how far we have achieved those resolutions, analyze the challenges, and consider workable alternatives to achieve our set goals.

“It is equally important that we are having this meeting at this moment when we record the resurgence of Boko Haram insurgency activities in some areas of the region, and the worrisome deployment of technology by the enemy.

“This should be critically examined with a target of evolving a working synergy between the state and Federal governments, and the security agencies for a strategic approach to check the resurgence.

“We must act fast to consolidate the gains achieved in peace, security and the socio-economic developments recorded in the last few years”. Buni said

He salute the bravery and courage of the officers and men of the various security organizations, Civilian JTF, Vigilante and Hunter groups, some of whom have paid the Supreme price in the cause of defending their fatherland for us to have peace and security.

Continuing he said: “I am optimistic the Forum would once again reflect on measures that would contribute to unlocking the economic potential abundant in the sub-region.

“This becomes necessary in view of the over dependence on federal allocation which is increasingly becoming unrealistic and more challenging in meeting our needs.

“Similarly, the need to generate employment opportunities for our youth is very crucial to avoid exposing them as veritable tools for recruitment into terrorism, banditry and other forms of social vices.

“As leaders, we have a moral obligation to make agriculture attractive, affordable and profitable through provision of machines, equipment and other inputs to exploit the rich vast arable lands and the massive population in the region to enhance food sufficiency, food security and economic prosperity”. Buni stressed.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the forum, and Governo of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum emphasized the urgent need for further collective action to address squarely, the hardship facing the people of the North East, especially in areas of food, transportation, health and eroded purchasing powers due largely to the global economic downturn.

He commend the efforts of the members of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in their determined efforts to eradicate the menace of insurgency.

“I urged the military and other security agencies to sustain the fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists so us to bring this war to a successful end.

“The recent re-emergence of attacks by the insurgents is a matter of serious concern capable of undermining the successes already recorded in the theatre of war.

“May I humbly suggest that the Military should revisit its operational strategy so as to be more offensive. Your Excellencies, poverty level in our region is alarming and it is imperative that we take bold step to address this challenge.

“We must recognize that poverty is not just an economic issue but also a social and humanitarian crisis. To tackle these challenges, we must adopt short and medium term measures and we should focus on rebuilding and revitalizing our agricultural sector. This, includes providing support to farmers, investing in irrigation system and promoting climate resilient agricultural practices.

“However, agriculture alone cannot lift our people out of poverty. We must also focus on creating enabling environment for the establishment of small and medium scale industries in our region. This includes investing in infrastructure, providing incentives for private sector investment and promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.

“But today, we come together not to lament our problems as identified, rather, to proffer durable solutions. As Governors, we have a sacred responsibility to our people, we have a duty to provide them with the basic necessities of life, to create opportunities for them to thrive and to ensure that they live in peace and secured environment. But we cannot do all these alone. We need each other’s support, co-operation and understanding.

“We must recognize that our individual successes are tied to the success of our region as a whole. We must acknowledge that our collective progress is dependent on our ability to work together to share our resources and to leverage our strengths.

“As we move forward, we must to invest in our infrastructure to provide our people with good access roads, reliable electricity and clean water. We must work to reduce poverty by creating jobs, promoting skills acquisition and supporting small businesses.

“We must develop our industries to diversify our economy and to create opportunities for our young people. And we must take concrete steps to address the issue of flooding which has caused so much devastation in our region.

“In this regard, I urged all my colleagues to take concrete measures to avoid flooding this year’s rainy season.The recent early warning signals released by NIMET should be treated with all the seriousness it deserves to avoid flooding.

“I wish to thank our host, Governor Mai Mala Buni for the hospitality and warm reception accorded us since our arrival”.

In attendance were Governor of Gombe state, Alhaji Inusa Yahaya, Adamawa state, Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri, Borno state, Professor Babagana Zulum and the host, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state.

Others include Taraba state governor, Kefas Agbu, while that of Bauchi was represented by his Deputy, Mohammed Abdulkadir. Also in attendance are traditional rulers and top government officials.

After a brief opening, the Governors alongside some key stakeholders and heads of some agencies and humanitarian partners went into closed door meeting with an anticipation of Communique at the end of the exercise.