Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani has said that the Northern States Governors must develop a common strategy and operational plan to tackle insecurity in the region.
“Our region has been grappling with challenges of insecurity. Our human development indices have been declining. For the Northern Governors Forum to remain relevant
We must forge unity among our people and collaborate on issues of development. We must fashion a master plan for the development of the North. Our situation is dire and requires concerted and sustained action.
Governor Sani said this in his opening address at the inaugural meeting of the 19 Northern Governors Forum in Kaduna recently.
He said, “We must develop a common strategy and operational plan to tackle insecurity. We must establish a Command and Control Centre to coordinate our joint efforts against terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements in our region.
“Diversity and ethno- religious unity remain the foundation for the advancement of the ideals of regional peace, security and development in the North. Northern Governors must work together towards empowering the people as key production forces for the growth of the North. This requires deliberate policy designs and implementation, in ways that recognise the critical role of leadership in leading such initiatives.
“Dear colleagues, the vision for the design of a strategic agenda for the development of the North should be anchored on a core ideal that puts the people at the center of our aspiration and drive. This is simply because the mandate we got to lead, emanated from the people.
The Northern Governors Forum was established based on the fact that beyond the pursuit of a pan- Nigeria ideal, regional unity is a strategic agenda that should be pursued. The Forum was put together in the strong belief that a forum that promotes the values of peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity is critical to the search for sustainable solutions to the region’s development challenges.
“This effort at charting a new course for our region will come to nothing if we fail to provide strong leadership. We must therefore effectively mobilise 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.
“Regionalism, in the context of what the North represents, is an expression that is embedded in shared identity and purpose, anchored on the principle of mutual respect and cooperation between and among states.
The people of the North, regardless of political, ethnic and religious inclinations, are one people, with a shared destiny, that are not driven by any short term consideration.
He thanked them thus, “I thank you all for your individual and collective condolence messages on the loss of our citizens in the unfortunate Tudun Biri military drone attack.
