Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern State Governors’ Forum, Inuwa Yahaya, has voiced strong support for the establishment of state police, emphasizing the need for decentralized security management.

In an interview with journalists following his meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House in Abuja, Yahaya highlighted the benefits of bringing security closer to the people.

“State police will enable us to monitor and implement security decisions swiftly, with tangible results,” Yahaya stated. He criticized the current security architecture, where commanders report to Abuja, as ineffective for prompt decision-making. Yahaya expressed confidence that both his constituents and Nigerians broadly support the initiative, predicting smooth legislative passage.

“The state police issue is a constitutional matter that will have to go through the National Assembly and eventually the states because it needs two-thirds of the state assemblies in Nigeria to endorse it.

“Personally, and I believe the whole of the people of Gombe State are behind the idea of having state police because that will take security closer to the people,” Yahaya noted. He added that most states are already managing security through local outfits that support federal agencies, despite governors being nominally recognized as the Chief Security Officers without direct control over security forces.

Yahaya also discussed steps to boost electricity supply in Gombe and other North-East states, leveraging the new electricity Act that permits states to generate, transmit, and market electricity.

“Transmission and whatever electricity has been on the exclusive list before now, but with the new electricity Act, it means that states can now handle generation, transmission, and marketing. At the last meeting of the North-East Governors, we resolved that each of us should generate 10 Megawatts of solar power to kick-start activities,” he said.

Addressing education, Yahaya highlighted efforts to combat the issue of out-of-school children in the Northern region. He pledged to enroll and retain students from primary to tertiary levels, acknowledging the challenge posed by decades of neglect in the educational system.

“That issue was top on the agenda of our last meeting because it is a very big menace that we are unfortunately contending with, but mind you, it is a build-up of the past; over 50 years or so of neglect of the educational system,” Yahaya noted. He assured that governors are committed to improving educational outcomes and will continue working diligently to ensure sustained progress.

Reflecting on his stewardship, Yahaya stated that he had a clear vision and mission for Gombe State, achieving significant progress in healthcare, education, infrastructure, social development, and economic investment over the past five years.

He assured that his administration would continue to work hard to achieve remaining goals in the next three years.