North-East Governors Reaffirm Unity, Roll Out Plans on Security, Climate Change and Economic Development

From Paul Orude Bauchi 

The North-East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regional cooperation and tackling the major challenges confronting the subregion, including insecurity, humanitarian needs, climate change, and economic development.

The governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe States met on Saturday in Jalingo, Taraba State, for the 12th session of the Forum under the chairmanship of Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, Governor of Borno State.

In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the governors acknowledged progress made in the fight against insurgency but expressed concern over lingering humanitarian crises and infrastructural gaps across the region.

The Forum also raised alarm over climate-related risks, particularly flooding, and called for proactive mitigation measures. 

“There is urgent need for sensitization of communities in flood-prone areas and the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure,” the governors resolved, while appealing to the Federal Government and the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) for support.

On food security, the governors warned that rising costs of agricultural inputs could trigger a crisis unless subsidies and targeted interventions are provided. They urged more robust planning for dry season farming to stabilize food supplies.

In a bid to stimulate commerce and regional investment, the Forum announced that the North-East Trade Fair will hold in December 2025 in Maiduguri, Borno State, in partnership with the North-East Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NECCIMA).

The governors also emphasized the importance of energy development, directing their Power and Energy Committee to produce a comprehensive Subregional Power Masterplan to tackle energy poverty and expand renewable energy opportunities.

In the education sector, the Forum congratulated the University of Maiduguri on its 50th anniversary and pledged support for both the celebrations and the relaunch of the institution’s Endowment Fund in November 2025.

The meeting concluded with an agreement that the 13th North-East Governors’ Forum would take place in Maiduguri, Borno State, from December 12 to 14, 2025.

Governor Zulum, who signed the communiqué, said the Forum remained a “vital platform for regional dialogue, policy alignment, and collective action” in addressing the North-East’s peculiar challenges and opportunities.y