The Northern Governors Forum has vowed to work together to get to the root of the insecurity besetting the region.
The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammad Yahaya, gave this assurance in a chat with correspondents after a meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday.
“And as a chairman of Northern Governors Forum, I will ensure that we get to the root of all those problems through the support of the various state governments and the federal government itself will come up with the solutions, since that will trigger positive action and reaction, not the negatives, and very soon, the narrative will change.
By the grace of God the narratives will change, we will have a peaceful north that is contributing to the development and prosperity of Nigeria,” he said.
The Governor pointed out that a peaceful atmosphere has been maintained in Gombe State because, despite the different ethnic and religious configurations, the people have resolved to live together.
He stated: “There is peace in Gombe for so many many reasons. One is the nature of our people. One, we are sort of a mix of several ethnic groups, and several religions joining together and living peacefully.
“So within a family, you could find people of different faiths but sharing the same parents. So, because of that, the background is so okay that we now build on it and coordinate the relationships.
“Secondly, government get focused and is working day and night with the security agencies to ensure that there’s compliance with law and order and there is compliance to a reasonable extent.
“But the issues that have to do with resources, especially the land resource, because our people are peasant farmers, and farmers mean those involved in crop production and livestock.
“So, in between, because of the encroachment of our grazing reserves, forest reserves, and even the cattle routes, issues have started to spring up, and those issues are those that catapulted to become a result into rustling banditry and kidnapping for ransom, which is very, very prevalent in the northwest and the North Central.
“So, at the moment, we’re focusing on doing that maintaining the peace by providing for each and everybody and each and every sector in a way that we understand and cooperate with one another. And we give chance so that as you do unto yourself, you do the same to the other person for the purpose of obtaining peace and tranquillity in the state.
“That is why Gombe has made some difference and that’s where we are.”
The governor also spoke on floods ravaging parts of the north, stressing the need for proactive actions to forestall the disaster of the past year.
He noted: “We would not like a repeat of what happened last year to do the same this year. But in whatever we do, we have to be both proactive and reactive.
“We have not acted in the way that we solved all the problems of last year, and this year has started. So, we need to double up you know. We’ll do some little backtracking and move in double up to catch up with the current trends and do the needful.
“So all hands must be on deck NiMET, the states, NEMA and whoever has an interest in the environment and environmental control has to come together and work with the government in order to solve the problem.”
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