By Ado Oyeyemi
Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Inuwa Yahaya, has warned that Boko Haram insurgency has been weakened but not completely defeated, as attacks and other security threats continue to affect communities in the North-East.
Yahaya spoke on Saturday at the 13th meeting of the forum held in Maiduguri, Borno State, where he called for renewed efforts to tackle insecurity and other challenges confronting the region.
According to the governor, although significant progress has been recorded in the North-East over the past six years, the security situation remains fragile, with banditry and communal clashes emerging as additional threats.
“Boko Haram has been weakened but not defeated, and we still see attacks on our communities. Banditry and communal clashes are emerging as new threats,” he said.
He lamented that the lingering insecurity had prevented many displaced residents from safely returning to their communities, stressing that the humanitarian consequences of the crisis remained a major concern.
The governor also identified inadequate infrastructure, energy shortages, healthcare and education as some of the major challenges still facing the region.
He said major projects, including the Mambilla hydropower project, regional railway links and broadband expansion, were yet to reach their desired levels of implementation.
Reflecting on the establishment of the North-East Governors’ Forum in March 2020, Yahaya said the initiative was created because the challenges facing the region were too extensive for individual states to tackle independently.
He noted that the forum had recorded progress in infrastructure, power, economic development, human capital and security, while describing the Kolmani oil exploration project as a major opportunity for the region.
However, he urged the governors to ensure that the region’s natural resources translated into jobs, revenue and improved living conditions for residents.
Yahaya also called for responsible exploitation of solid minerals, warning that illegal mining could provide funding for criminal activities.
On education and healthcare, the governor said the region still had significant human capital deficits, urging the governors to acknowledge the shortcomings and intensify efforts to address them.
“Too many of our children are still out of school, and our health indicators remain among the weakest in the country. We must be honest with ourselves and with our people,” he stated.
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The meeting was also significant as it is expected to be the final gathering of the forum before the 2027 general elections, with the five founding governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe and Yobe approaching the end of their constitutionally permitted two-term.
