Masari fumes over Northern govs’ absence at security meeting

Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State, on Saturday, fumed following the absence of 18 of his colleagues at a meeting to arrest the worsening security in the North.

Nonetheless, he said he and his colleagues from the North-West had taken measures to stop the ceaseless killings and destruction in the zone.

Masari, who is the Chairman of the security committee inaugurated by the Northern Governors Forum, said the governors must separate politics with the issue of security that affects the generality of the people.

The meeting attended by the deputy governors of Sokoto, Jigawa and Kaduna states also had in attendance secretaries to the state governments of the two states, and that of Katsina, as well as various consultants on security.

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“The issue of security is more important than politics as it affects life,” Masari said at the opening of the meeting which later went into closed door session.

He said it was important to evolve ways of sustaining attendance not only by the governors, but also their deputies and SSGs.

“It will not however hinder the discussions or delay the meeting;  we must devise means of continuing with the meeting even when the Governors are not in attendance,” he said.

Masari added: “Before we leave, we should have a programme that we can brief our governors, we should not allow this laudable initiative rely only on the availability of governors.”

Speaking on behalf of the other governors, Masari remarked that the meeting of the North-West governors was essential to integrate the zone into one viable economic entity.

He said after a marathon meeting, the governors resolved to look at three key areas: economic development, agriculture, and education.

‘We have taken into account that these three areas are very key to the integration of the zone. And each of the North-West governor is very passionate about it.

According to Masari, once the issue of education was adequately tackled, the spate of killings in the zone and other zones will end.

He  disclosed that part of the measure the governors had taken was to strengthen the nation’s international borders so as to check the influx of criminals into the country.

Masari also said agriculture was another area that the governors felt would lead to economic growth, noting, that the zone had massive vast land that are still uncapped.

“We are looking at it to see how we will engaged thousands of our youths that are rooming the stress without jobs,” he said.