The Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi, the Governor of Ekiti State has expressed the concerns of the forum over the security situation in the North- West and the country at large, promising to collaborate with the Federal Government to bring an end to the menace.
Dr Fayemi made this assertion when he led the Governors of Sokoto, Kebbi and Jigawa states on a solidarity visit to Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari at the Government House Katsina, on Tuesday.
“For us, the Nigeria Governors Forum, we believe that we not only have to be tough on banditry, on kidnapping, on criminality generally, but we also have to be tough on the cause of the problem.
“Socio inequality, poverty are key issues, and we need to be able to ensure that our states pry away our young people from the merchants of death who are using them as cannon fodder of this criminal brigandage,” he said.
“And we can only do that by providing them with alternative means of livelihood and support system that’ll not entice them to these elements that are endangering the whole of our country.”
“However, we as governors are still very concerned about the security situation in the North-West and in the entire country. This is almost a daily occurrence,” he said, adding that, the governor is spending the state lean resources on both material and human on this priority issue which pervades the whole of our country.
“We want to thank His Excellency, the President for being abreast of the situation and for working closely with the governor of Katsina state in ensuring that the kids were retrieved from the forest in Zamfara with the assistance of the players who were critical to that retrieval- Miyetti Allah, the military, our brother the governor of Zamfara State,” he added.
ALSO READ: 253 died in Kwara road crashes in 11 months ― FRSC
“And this is something that we are committed to as governors in working with Mr President in working with all our colleagues so that we don’t keep talking about the same thing over and over again”.
“We’re all tired, we’re all frustrated that these issues are happening, but we know that with concerted efforts on our part as governors and commitment of the federal government and professional conduct of our security services and our social investment programme intensified; we shall see to the end of this criminality, this brigandage in our states,” the NGF boss said.
“And this is something that we are committed to as governors in working with Mr President in working with all our colleagues so that we don’t keep talking about the same thing over and over again”, Fayemi concluded.
In his remark, Masari thanked his colleagues for the concern, urging them to join hands together to defeat the enemies and safeguard the lives and properties of their people.
“The issue of security is the issue of all citizens, people should not join security with politics; no leader wishes the people he swore to protect are in turn being killed.”
Governors Forum decries insecurity in North-West
and then