Nigeria’s Northeast governors say insecurity in the region can only be solved through a mix of solutions beyond military action.
Speaking at the 12th Northeast Governors Forum meeting in Taraba on Saturday, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum said education, healthcare, better security, and infrastructure are key to restoring peace and development.
While commending President Bola Tinubu’s efforts against insurgency, the governors stressed that poverty, unemployment, and poor road networks continue to fuel unrest in the region.
“We must reiterate our call for non-kinetic solutions to the challenges. This involves addressing the root cause of the problem by tackling youth unemployment through enhanced technical and vocational education, improving our road networks, revitalising agriculture, improving poverty alleviation programmes, security, and healthcare, among others,” Zulum said.
He added; “We must take practical steps that will ensure the revitalisation of our region. We must take practical steps that will attract both local and foreign investments, and promote the establishment of large and small-scale enterprises.”
The Forum also asked the Federal Government to support private and foreign investors to drive small and medium-scale businesses in the region.
Earlier, Taraba State Governor Dr. Agbu Kefas urged fellow governors to pressure the NorthEast Development Commission to rebuild the Namai bridge, which collapsed in August 2024 and claimed lives.
The governors noted that the region still faces serious humanitarian and infrastructural challenges but reaffirmed their commitment to drive development.
