*Lists security, infrastructure, economy
*Seeks stronger delivery mechanism to turn resolutions into measurable results
Segun Awofadeji in Gombe
Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern Nigeria Governors Forum (NNGF), Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, weekend, said the North-East Governors’ Forum (NEGF), has recorded significant progress in regional cooperation since its establishment in 2020.
He said the collective action has already begun to yield concrete results across infrastructure, energy, connectivity and economic development.
For example, Yahaya noted the rehabilitation of strategic roads, renewed efforts on regional power and connectivity, the revival of the North-East Trade Fair and progress towards establishing a regional airline, among others.
He said the achievements reflected the value of the six states working together to address challenges that transcended individual state boundaries.
He spoke on Saturday in Maiduguri, Borno State, while delivering his opening remarks at the 13th meeting of the North-East Governors’ Forum.
He, however, challenged the Forum to build on the progress recorded by moving beyond policy resolutions and strengthening mechanisms that would ensure decisions translate into measurable outcomes for the people.
He said the Forum was established out of necessity, as challenges confronting the region, including insurgency, banditry, cross-border crime, infrastructure deficits, energy shortages and the humanitarian crisis could not be effectively addressed by individual states acting in isolation.
Six years and twelve meetings later, he said the NEGF had evolved into an institutional platform with a Secretariat, Technical Working Committee of the Secretaries to State Governments, Technical Working Group of experts and sectoral committees responsible for advancing decisions between meetings.
Yahaya said one of the clearest outcomes of the Forum’s collective advocacy was the joint presentation of 17 strategic road projects, the Port Harcourt-Jos-Bauchi-Maiduguri rail corridor and frontier oil exploration opportunities at Kolmani and the Lake Chad Basin to the Federal Government in September 2025.
He noted that the federal government subsequently flagged off the rehabilitation of the Dikwa-Gamboru Ngala and Bama-Banki roads, covering nearly 99 kilometres of strategic corridors critical to security, recovery and cross-border trade.
He added that the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri highway had also been adopted as a legacy road project of President Bola Tinubu.
On energy, Yahaya said the Forum had helped shift the conversation from isolated state-level concerns to a regional energy agenda, noting that the Dadinkowa Hydropower Plant was now feeding the national grid.
He said the new electricity law had also created opportunities for states to reform their electricity markets and expand renewable energy solutions, including solar power and mini-grids.
He further cited the revival of the North-East Trade Fair in Bauchi in 2024 as another example of a Forum resolution being translated into concrete action.
According to him, the region’s ability to pool resources had also been demonstrated through the N30 billion financing plan, with each of the six states contributing N5 billion, for the establishment of a North-East regional airline.
In his remarks, the host, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State, commended the federal government for interventions supporting recovery and economic resilience in the North-East, particularly the One Billion Dollar Household Prosperity and Economic Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP).
He said the intervention was significant for a sub-region that had endured prolonged insecurity, displacement, disrupted livelihoods and humanitarian dependence, noting that it could help vulnerable households rebuild their livelihoods and become economically self-reliant.
Zulum stressed the need for a deliberate shift from relief to recovery and sustainable prosperity, with the return of displaced persons backed by access to housing, education, healthcare and economic opportunities.
He also acknowledged the considerable improvement in the security situation across the North-East, attributing the progress to the sacrifice of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, the resilience of the people and the commitment of governments at all levels.