Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya has lamented that the insecurity in the North has escalated from a localised challenge to a national threat, hence the need for establishing state police.
Yahaya stated this at a joint security meeting attended by the 19 state governors, including first-class emirs and chiefs from the Northern Region held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna.
He said putting up the state police remains a very critical and effective mechanism to address present security challenges facing the country.
He also highlighted some of the reasons giving rise to insecurity in the Northern region to include underdevelopment, illiteracy, weak infrastructure, high rates of unemployment, environmental degradation, and poor resource management, among other factors.
He tasked the region’s leaders to make every effort to reverse the trend.
Governor Yahaya, however, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership role, which led to the release of kidnapped victims in parts of the region, while urging him not to relent in ensuring all are released.
He stated, “the region remains resolute to collaborate with the federal government, security agencies, and local authorities towards securing lives and property, including school environments”.
Also, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani said the governors of the region have been evolving strategies, such as peer review mechanisms, all aimed at providing good governance for the people.
He highlighted the critical role of the traditional institutions in nation-building and inculcating communal consciousness, among others, and urged them to do more.
Speaking, the Sultan of Sokoto, who is also Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, Abubakar Sa’ad, assured the Northern Governors of the continued support of the traditional institutions in the region.
He also noted the need for the governors to ensure effective service delivery rooted in good governance in their respective states.