Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), Inuwa Yahaya, has warned that Boko Haram insurgency remains a threat despite being weakened, saying attacks on communities persist across the region.
Yahaya spoke on Saturday at the 13th meeting of the forum in Maiduguri, where he also identified banditry and communal clashes as emerging security challenges.
“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,” he said.
He said lingering insecurity had left many displaced residents unable to return safely to their communities.
The governor also noted that major regional infrastructure projects, including the Mambilla hydropower project, railway connections and broadband expansion, remained unrealised, while significant gaps in healthcare and education continued to affect the region.
Reflecting on the North East Governors’ Forum (NEGF), which was established in Gombe in March 2020, Yahaya said the coalition was formed out of necessity because the challenges facing the region could not be addressed by individual states acting alone.
“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 noted that insecurity, banditry, cross-border crime, poor infrastructure, energy deficits and humanitarian challenges cut across state boundaries.
Despite the difficulties, Yahaya acknowledged progress made by the forum in infrastructure, power generation, economic development, human capital and security.
He described the Kolmani exploration project as a major opportunity for the region but stressed that its potential must translate into production, employment and revenue.
He also warned against the misuse of the region’s mineral resources.
“Our solid minerals must be mined legally and for the benefit of our people, not to fund criminality.”
On education and healthcare, the governor urged his colleagues to confront the region’s challenges honestly, noting that many children remained out of school and health indicators were still among the weakest in the country.
“Too many of our children are still out of school, and our health indicators remain among the weakest in the country. We must be honest with ourselves and with our people. The challenges we set out to confront in 2020 have not gone away,” he stated.
The meeting was described as historically significant, as it is expected to be the forum’s final gathering before the 2027 general elections.
The five founding governors from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe and Yobe are expected to complete their constitutionally permitted two-term tenures in the coming months, making the meeting an opportunity for reflection, assessment and leadership transition.
