Calls from the North-East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) to accelerate the execution of the Mambilla Hydroelectric Project, have gone to the federal government.
This, as noticed by The Trumpet, was contained in a communique issued at the end of their 7th Meeting held in Gombe State during the weekend.
The forum was observed to have brought together governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States.
Expressing delight at the growing strength of cooperation, collaboration and cordial relationship between the governors of the 6 states of the region, they reiterated their commitment to foster common ground and pursue a collective course for the benefit of the region.
While lauding President Muhammadu Buhari and the security agencies for the effort in combating the Boko haram insurgency, they noted the improvement in the security situation in the region which had largely been achieved through kinetic and non-kinetic measures.
The forum, which also described the relative peace being experienced in the sub-region, especially the reduced incidences of farmer-herder clashes, as encouraging, however, expressed sadness at the increasing vulnerability of the region to insecurity due to the mass movement of the bandits, who according to the governors, “are gradually being pushed out of the Northwest by the security forces”.
On the influx of the bandits to the region, they collectively agreed that “there is an urgent need to launch a coordinated security road map in conjunction with the security agencies and the federal government.
Expressing concern about the parlous state of power supply in the region, they beckoned at the federal government to introduce innovative strategies by investing in the production of comparatively cheaper hydropower and renewable energy, adding that “the federal government is called upon to accelerate the execution of the Mambila hydroelectric project.”
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The need to also harness the vast untapped resources of the sub-region by fostering integration in commerce as well as holding trade fairs to attract foreign investments, they believed has also become necessary.
Aimed at actualizing the dream, they urged the Northeast Council of Chambers of Commerce to as a matter of urgency, revive the Northeast Joint Trade Fair and Commodity Markets to stimulate economic activities.
They were also noticed to have expressed grave concern about the devastating effect of flooding which is destroying homes and livelihoods including road infrastructures.
Not comfortable with the situation, a call from them to the federal government to as a matter of urgency direct its relevant agencies to immediately deploy all necessary interventions to ameliorate the situation in the affected areas, was made.
The said Mambilla hydropower project which is located in Taraba, was observed to have been a shadow of itself, as no work on the sites has commenced.
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