Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has urged his colleagues in the North to work together towards empowering the people as key production forces for the growth of the region.
Mr Sani spoke during the inaugural meeting of the Northern Governors’ Forum, NGF, at the Kaduna State Government House on Friday.
The governor stressed that to achieve this it would require deliberate policy designs and implementation, in ways that recognize the critical role of leadership in leading the initiatives.
According to him, regionalism, in the context of what the North represents, is an expression that was embedded in shared identity and purpose, anchored on the principle of mutual respect and cooperation between and among states.
Mr Sani, however, expressed dismay that the Northern region has been grappling with challenges of insecurity while human development indices have been declining.
He explained that there was an urgent need to develop a common strategy and an operational plan to tackle insecurity in the Northern part of the country.
Mr Sani urged,”We must establish a Command and Control Centre to coordinate our joint efforts against terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements in our region.”
He, therefore, warned that, for the forum to remain relevant, it must forge unity among its people and collaborate on issues of development.
Sai added, “We must fashion a Marshal Plan for the development of the North. Our situation is dire and requires concerted and sustained action.
“We must therefore effectively mobilize our people around this common agenda, create the enabling environment, leverage the human and material resources of the region,
“Deliver on our promises to the people, and at all times put the welfare of the people at the center of our development agenda for the northern region.”
He said that the forum was put together in the strong belief that it promotes the values of peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity was critical to the search for sustainable solutions to the region’s development challenge.
The meeting was chaired by Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State.
Those in attendance include the governors of Kaduna, Plateau, Borno, Zamfara and Katsina.
The governors of Kano ,Benue ,Yobe, Kebbi, Jigawa and Taraba were represented by their Deputies.
NAN
