Shettima Calls for Strategies to Tackle Insecurity as Northern Governors Meet in Kaduna

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, has urged his colleagues to adopt strategies to forestall all forms of security challenges in the North.

In an address at the meeting of the forum yesterday at the Kashim Ibrahim House (Government House), Kaduna, Shetima regretted the bloody conflicts between farmers and herdsmen in the region, saying it was the responsibility of governors to find lasting solutions to the conflicts.

“As elected leaders, it is our primary responsibility to take a hard and critical look at these conflicts and come up with implementable ways and means of addressing them squarely,” he said.

He said the meeting would discuss the lingering clashes between farmers and herdsmen as well as the outstanding issues concerning the New Nigeria Development Company Limited (NNDC), jointly owned by the 19 states in the North.
“It is also critically important, as a long term measure, to device viable strategies to forestall all forms of security challenges that may likely erupt in the future.

“I need to emphasise that whatever resolutions we may arrive at, should be without prejudice to the various commendable and comprehensive measures being put in place by the federal government in addressing the security challenges; especially the recent abduction of the Dapchi School Girls.

“We appreciate and commend the efforts being made by President Muhammadu Buhari in the Dapchi crisis by ensuring the deployment of all necessary security personnel and equipment towards the rescue of the abducted girls,” the governor said.

He also condemned the recent clashes in Taraba and Kaduna States which led to many loss of lives and destruction of property worth millions of naira.

Shettima stressed that the forum needs to pay particular attention to the root causes of such conflicts and their seemingly intractable nature with an open mind and without bias in order to arrive at comprehensive means of addressing them.

“We should, in the process, also avoid inputting political, ethnic or religious colorations to the conflict,” he said.

A communique is expected to be issued at the end of the meeting.