Anambra Central Senatorial Zone -Why Princess Mbakwe Deserves The Seat

By Ify Okoli

Northern Nigeria continues to face a serious security challenge, with Boko Haram weakened but still capable of attacking communities, Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya has warned.

Yahaya, who chairs the Northern States Governors’ Forum, spoke on Saturday at the forum’s 13th meeting in Maiduguri, Borno State, where he listed insecurity among the region’s most pressing challenges.

He said the security situation was also being complicated by growing banditry and communal clashes, creating fresh risks for communities already affected by years of insurgency and violence.

“Boko Haram has been weakened but not defeated, and we still see attacks on our communities. Banditry and communal clashes are emerging as new threats,” Yahaya said.

The continuing insecurity, he noted, has also slowed the return of people displaced by violence, many of whom remain unable to safely go back to their communities despite efforts to restore stability.

Beyond security, Yahaya raised concerns about the slow progress of major projects expected to strengthen the North’s economic prospects, including the Mambilla hydropower project, regional railway connections and broadband expansion.

He also pointed to persistent weaknesses in healthcare and education, although he acknowledged progress across the region during the past six years. He said several challenges still required collective regional action.

Yahaya recalled that the North East Governors’ Forum was established in Gombe in March 2020 because the scale of the region’s problems demanded cooperation beyond individual state governments.

“When we first met in Gombe, we did so out of necessity. The challenges confronting our region were greater than any one state could solve alone,” he said.

He identified insecurity, banditry, cross-border crime, poor infrastructure, inadequate electricity and the humanitarian crisis among the issues requiring sustained regional cooperation, while noting progress in infrastructure, power, economic development, human capital and security.

Yahaya also described the Kolmani oil exploration project as a major economic opportunity, but stressed that its value would ultimately depend on moving from exploration to production, creating jobs and increasing government revenue.