The governors of 19 Northern states have called for urgent collaboration among stakeholders to prevent a recurrence of previous flooding incidents in the country.
Chairman of Northern Governors Forum (NGF) Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe state made the call while briefing State House correspondents after a meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He said there was the need for urgent and swift action on the implementation of measures to avoid flood disaster in the country.
“The problem of flooding is virtually a national issue now, you know, global warming and climate change is affecting the entire globe, and for that, we are strategising. We would not like a repeat of what happened last year to occur again this year. But in whatever we do, we have to be both proactive and reactive.
“We have not acted in the way that will solve all the problems of last year, and this year has started. So we need to double you know our efforts, we’ll do some little backtracking and move in double cross to catch up with the current trends and do the needful.
“So all hands must be on deck NiMET, the states, NEMA, and whoever has an interest in the environment and environmental control has to come together and work with the government in order to solve the problem,” he said.
On the role of the northern governors forum to tackle the issue, the said: “As the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, I will ensure that we get to the roots of all the problems, and through the support of the Federal government and the various state governments, we will come up with the solutions; things that will trigger positive actions and reactions and very soon by the grace of God, the narrative will change and we will have a peaceful north that is contributing to the development and prosperity of Nigeria.”
On security in the north, the governor said Gombe State Government has taken some drastic measures that made it possible for the sustenance of peace and stability in all parts of the state despite being surrounded by states where there are security challenges.
“There is peace in Gombe for so many reasons like the nature of our people. We are a mixture of people of several ethnic groups and religions living together peacefully. Within a family, you have people of different faiths but having the same parents and because of that, the background is so unique that we have built on it to sustain the relationship.
“Secondly the government is focused on security and is working day and night together with the security agencies in the State to ensure that there is compliance with law and order and that is feasible to a reasonable extent in Gombe.
“Then there are issues that have to do with resources, especially land, because our people are peasant farmers, those involved in crop production and livestock production. So because of the encroachment of our grazing and forest reserves plus the cattle routes issues it has resulted into rustling, banditry, and kidnap for ransom, which is prevalent in the North-West and North-Central.
“So, at the moment we are focusing on maintaining the peace by providing resources for everybody and every sector in a way that we always understand and cooperate to sustain peace and tranquillity in the State and that is why Gombe has made some difference,” he said.
