Poor road network fuelling insecurity in North-East Nigeria— Govs

The North East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) has decried the intractable insecurity situation in the region, linking it to poor road networks.

The governors said the situation was stalling development and making life more difficult for people.

“The Forum is disturbed about the poor infrastructural base of the region. More concerned that federal roads within and between the states in the region have been neglected. We call on the federal ministry of works to follow through with road contracts awarded in the region.

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“Poor road network is fuelling insecurity and stalling development and making life more difficult for our people in the region”, the NEGF said in a communique.

The governors in the communique issued at the end of their 9th meeting in Yola, Adamawa State, at the weekend, also harped on stronger collaboration among themselves.

In attendance at the meeting Governors Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Muhammadu Yaya (Gombe), Agbu Kefas of (Taraba State), and Mai Buni (Yobe).

Babagana Zulum, chairman of the NEGF, said although the security situation in the region was improving, there was a need for more collaboration among member states in the design of a stronger security architecture.

The Forum also mentioned climate change and environmental degradation as major issues affecting the region. It thus resolved to strengthen its collaboration with all initiatives such as the Great Green Wall and the Global Initiative of Carbon Credit financing.

“Forum notes that the contractual encumbrances on some of the bad federal roads within and between the states are major setbacks to the infrastructural development of the region. It calls on the NEDC to work with state governments and the federal ministry of works to remove the encumbrances and find more practical ways to intervene on these roads”

“The poor energy situation in the region. To mitigate the situation, Forum resolved to work with Shanghai Electric to construct a 60MW Coal Power Plant or 50MW Solar Power Plant in each state of the region.

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The Forum also decried the poor rail system in the region. It noted that the repairs on the old gauge rail lines were not useful and sustainable technology. The Forum called for the inclusion of the region in the Nigerian National Railway Transport Plan using the modern gauge rail and the national road plan.