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The Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, says the Boko Haram insurgency has been degraded but not completely crushed, noting that insecurity continues to trouble the North-East despite interventions in the region.
Yahaya, who leads the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), spoke on Saturday in Maiduguri during the 13th meeting of the Forum.
He said communities are still coming under attack, while new dimensions of insecurity such as banditry and communal conflicts are compounding the situation and preventing displaced persons from returning to their ancestral homes.
According to him, “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.”
The NSGF Chairman said the North-East is still grappling with serious development challenges, from stalled infrastructure to weak health systems and poor learning outcomes.
He pointed out that major projects like the Mambilla hydropower plant, the proposed regional rail lines and broadband rollout have not been realised, adding that the region must find lasting solutions to its power and humanitarian crises.
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Yahaya recalled that the North-East Governors’ Forum was set up in Gombe in March 2020 because the problems facing the sub-region — insecurity, cross-border criminality, infrastructure shortfalls and humanitarian pressures — were too complex for any single state to resolve alone.
He acknowledged that some gains have been recorded in road and power infrastructure, economic growth, human capital development and security, but insisted more needs to be done.
On natural resources, the governor said the Kolmani oil prospect holds huge promise for the zone, but its value must translate into increased production, jobs and revenue for the people.
He also charged his colleagues to ensure solid minerals in the region are mined through legal channels and deployed for the welfare of residents, not as funding for criminal networks.
Yahaya further flagged the high population of out-of-school children and poor health indicators in the North-East, calling on leaders to take decisive steps to reverse the trend.
The Maiduguri meeting was seen as both a review session and a transition point, as the five pioneer governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe and Yobe move towards the end of their second and final tenure before the 2027 elections.
