Shettima Meets North-East Governors In Borno [Photos]

Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Saturday, attended and declared open the 8th meeting of the North-East Governors’ Forum held in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

In his speech, Shettima called on the leaders and stakeholders in the North-East region to be strongly united to effectively address the various challenges bedevilling the geopolitical zone.

Shettima is on a two-day official trip to Maiduguri for the commissioning of projects executed by Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, and the flag-off of palliatives distribution by the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC).

He also commended the North-East Governors for deliberately forging unity amongst themselves despite their differences in political ideologies and urged national and state assembly members to uphold the same values.

In his remark, the Chairman of the Forum and Governor Zulum advocated for a partnership that can give birth to an independent power station and railway network across the northeast.

“Let me draw our attention to the recent amendment to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which saw the removal of Power Generation and Railway Transportation from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list. It is therefore important for us in the North East to partner towards the provision of independent power supply and rail transportation in the sub-region,” Zulum said.

Zulum called for proactive measures towards curtailing the activities of illegal miners while at the same time maximizing the benefits of those minerals towards the overall development of the people in the northeast region.

He also urged his colleagues from the region to give priority to the issues of youth unemployment and poverty in the region.

The governor also commended the Nigerian military for their efforts in curbing the security situation in the North-East, which saw relative peace.

“Let me use this occasion to commend our brave military in the fight against the insurgency, which remains unquestionable, while their determination to succeed is very glaring. No doubt, they have considered and acted upon a wide range of options in the fight against terrorism,” Zulum said.

Present at the meeting were Governor Zulum (Borno), Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), while those of Gombe and Taraba were represented by their deputies.

Deputy Governor of Borno, Umar Usman Kadadur, Senators and members of the House of Representatives, state lawmakers, and Secretaries to the State Governments from the northeast States were at the meeting.

Also, traditional rulers led by the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Umar Garbai Elkanemi and senior Government officials from the six States of the northeast attended the opening of the governors’ meeting.