The governors of the 19 Northern States in Nigeria met with regional traditional rulers on Monday in Kaduna State to address critical issues affecting the region.
This meeting was part of the Northern States Governors’ Forum’s initiative to engage with key stakeholders on pressing concerns, particularly the ongoing insecurity, poverty, high number of out-of-school children, and other socio-economic challenges impacting the region.
The session was chaired by Forum Chairman and Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, and hosted by Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, at Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House. In attendance were governors from Kaduna, Gombe, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Borno, Bauchi, Kwara, and Adamawa, alongside deputy governors from other Northern states.
Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, also joined the meeting, briefing the governors on military efforts to combat banditry, terrorism, and other security threats in Northern Nigeria.
Among the traditional rulers present were the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Saad; Shehu of Borno, Umar El-Kanemi; Emir of Zazzau, Nuhu Bamali; Ohinoyi of Ebira land; Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar; Emir of Kazaure; and Emir of Bauchi.
In their opening remarks, both Yahaya and Sani emphasized the urgent need to tackle insecurity, which has severely impacted the economy of Northern Nigeria.