TheNorthern States Governors’ Forum has constituted a committee to
collate views and comments on the state of the nation, especially on the
ongoing agitations for restructuring of the country.
The committee is to be chaired by the Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji
Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and is mandated to collect and collate views
regarding various agitations for restructuring of the country from
individuals, groups and corporate organisations in the region.
A communiqué issued and read by Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, Katsina
State Governor on behalf of Borno Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima at
the end of a two-day of Northern States Governors’s Forum meeting with
tradional rulers from the region said, ”The committee is to come up with
acceptable,tenable and sustainable position for the Northern region in
consonance with provisions of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic
of Nigeria as amended, taking into cognizance the current constitutional
amendment process going on in the National Assembly.”
Other members of the committee, according to the communiqué are:
Governors of Nasarawa, Gombe, Benue, Bauchi and Kaduna States as well as
Emirs of Kano and Gummi, Etsu Nupe and Gbong Gwon Jos, while the Deputy
Governor of Plateau state is to serve as the Committee Secretary.
On the centralization of security, the forum called on the federal
government to strengthen the capability of the Nigeria Police Force and
other security agencies with adequate funding and logistic requirements
to enable them perform their statutory mandate in a more effective and
efficient manner.
“It is pertinent to also ensure that funds and operational equipment
allocated to our security agencies, cascade down to all the various
command structures at the state level. This will improve their ability
to effectively check security challenges.
“The Forum also condemns the deadly communal clashes such as the
recent Msmbila massacre, the Aguta crisis in Benue State and the one of
Kajuru, Kaduna State. All available judicial and administrative
processes and procedures should be fully utilized to ensure that thosr
responsible for inciting or participated in the violence are to bear the
full wrath of the law no matter how highly plsced are the culprits. The
rule of law should be fully enforved,” the communique explained.
The meeting noted that the increasing rate of armed banditry was
becoming rampant in the region especially Forest Reserves like Kamuku
and Falgore provide shelter for banditry. The forum called on the
federal government to relinquish forest reserves to their domiciled
states for better manning and proper security coverage.
Looking at the conflict between farmers and cattle rearers, the
meeting noted that the free movement of persons, goods and services
within the West African sub-region as ratified by the ECOWAS Convention
should be subjected to the laws of individual member States in order to
check cross-border crimes especially cattle rustling.