Nigeria: North West Governors Seek UN Support for Troubled Region

Governors from Nigeria’s North West states have approached the United Nations for humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation of their geopolitical zone.

Many states in the Northwest have been adversely affected by banditry and terrorism in recent years, causing untold hardship on the people of the area.

A statement on Friday by the National Information Officer, UN Information Centre (UNIC), Oluseyi Soremekun read that Governors from the Northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria same day met with the United Nations Country Team led by the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Malick Fall, and they have asked the UN to support their states to deal with the numerous developmental challenges they face. 

The statement read: “The Chaiman of the Northwest Governors Forum and the Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, led other Governors in the zone, including Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani; Governor of Kano State, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf; Jigawa State Governor, Mallam Umar Namadi; Sokoto State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Idris Muhammad Gobir; and Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, to the UN House Abuja,

“The Governors highlighted the major challenges faced by the region, including insecurity, multidimensional poverty, a large population of out-of-school children, increased casesof illicit drug abuse, high child and maternal mortality, and a large youth population that is unemployed. 

“They indicated that nearly 80% of the population derive their livelihoods from agriculture, however, they face the challenges of land degradation and climate change which has reduced their yields. The governors also highlighted the high levels of child malnutrition. 

“They also committed to providing a strong political support needed to ensure UN interventions in the Northwest are implemented with speed and at scale.”

The Chairman of the Northwest Governors’ Forum was quoted in the statement to have said: “The only way we can surmount the challenges of Northwest is through a regional approach which demands that we work together in a coordinated manner. We need to collectively fight poverty and unemployment being the major root causes of insecurity in the region.”

The UN Resident Coordinator, on his part, expressed his delight at receiving six of the seven Governors in the zone and he assured that the United Nations family would support the Northwest region to address those development challenges. 

He noted that with the varied high levels of multidimensional poverty, the sustainable development goals would only be achieved in Nigeria if the northwest got it right, and this in turn would impact positively on the African region. 

“The UN in Nigeria is encouraged to see the strong leadership and commitment of Northwest Governors to improving the wellbeing of their people.  We will continue to support the government and people of Northwest Nigeria. Together, we will rescue and accelerate the agenda 2030 for sustainable development in the region.” Fall said.

The Resident Coordinator informed the governors that the UN has embarked on acceleration of the achievement of the SDGs through a focus on six key areas including food systems, education, social protection and jobs, energy access, climate change, and digital transformation. 

It was agreed at the meeting that a roadmap for action will be developed by technical teams from the UN and the seven states, through a framework of UN support to the region. 

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

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