North-East Governors Demand State Police

Northeast Governors on Wednesday joined their counterparts in the South to demand for state and community police.

The governors recommended the need for community policing and sub-regional outfits to compliment the efforts of the Military and other federal security agencies in addressing insecurity.

They were Governors of Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe and Borno.

Arising from the 4th meeting of the North-East Governors Forum held behind closed doors, the Governors issued a communique which among others, reviewed the challenges confronting the region.

In the 10 point communique which was issued by the Chairman of the Forum and Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, and read by the Adamawa State Governor, Adamu Fintiri, the Governors asked the federal government to accord the Mambilla Hydro-Electric Power project the seriousness it deserves because of it’s anticipated impact in turning around the fortunes of the region and the country.

The communique also noted with dismay that, the power project as important as it is, only existed on paper.

The Forum was also convinced that the zone is short-changed in Capital Appropriation in the 2021 budget, noting that in view of the region’s disadvantaged situation, there was need for aggressive infrastructural intervention to defeat the insurgency and build the resilience of communities.

It further underscored the need for adequate allocation for capital projects for the region in the build up to the supplementary budget which is the only appropriation window to redress alleged injustice to the region.

In the same vein, they commended the government’s renewed efforts at ending insurgency and other forms of criminalities in the sub-region.