Boko Haram Still A Threat Despite Setbacks, Gov Yahaya Reveals

Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Inuwa Yahaya, has said that the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East has been weakened but remains a threat to communities across the region.

Yahaya made the statement on Saturday at the 13th meeting of the North-East Governors’ Forum in Maiduguri, Borno State, where governors from the six states reviewed the region’s security situation, development challenges and areas requiring greater cooperation.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the Gombe governor said insecurity remained a major obstacle to development in the North-East, warning that banditry and communal clashes were emerging as additional security concerns.

“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,” Yahaya said.

He expressed concern over the number of residents displaced by insurgency who are yet to return to their communities because of continuing security challenges.

Yahaya acknowledged progress recorded across the region in infrastructure, energy, education, healthcare, economic development and security, but stressed that several major challenges were still unresolved.

He identified the completion of the Mambilla hydropower project, improved railway connectivity to the North-East and expansion of broadband infrastructure as some of the key priorities requiring sustained attention.

The governor also called for greater efforts to translate the potential of the Kolmani oil exploration project into actual production, employment opportunities and revenue for the people of the region.

He further advocated the legal exploitation of the North-East’s solid mineral resources, stressing that such resources should benefit residents rather than be used to finance criminal activities.

Yahaya explained that the North-East Governors’ Forum was established because many of the challenges facing the region cut across state boundaries and could not be effectively addressed by individual states.

He said issues including insurgency, banditry, cross-border crime, infrastructure deficits, energy shortages and humanitarian concerns required coordinated action among the six states.

The governor said the forum had strengthened its institutional framework through the establishment of a permanent secretariat, technical committees and sectoral groups designed to improve cooperation among the states.

Among the areas of progress, Yahaya highlighted joint efforts on strategic road projects, railway connectivity, energy development and the exploration of natural resources in the region.

He also pointed to the rehabilitation of major roads, including the Dikwa-Gamboru Ngala and Bama-Banki routes, as well as the adoption of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri highway as a legacy road project.

On power development, Yahaya noted that the Dadinkowa Hydropower Plant was contributing electricity to the national grid, while the new electricity framework had created opportunities for states to pursue renewable energy projects.

The forum has also revived the North-East Trade Fair and developed plans for a regional airline backed by a reported ₦30 billion financing arrangement involving the six states. Current reports confirm that the six North-East governors resolved to establish a regional air shuttle to improve the movement of people and goods across the subregion.

Despite the progress recorded, Yahaya urged the governors to acknowledge the challenges that remain, particularly in education, healthcare, poverty reduction, unemployment and youth development.

He said too many children in the region remained out of school and that health indicators continued to require urgent attention.

Yahaya stressed the need for stronger implementation and accountability mechanisms to ensure that decisions taken by the governors translated into tangible improvements in the lives of residents.

He also called for sustained efforts to tackle drug abuse, illegal mining and other issues that could worsen insecurity, while encouraging the states to learn from community-based security initiatives that have shown promise.

The governor urged the six states to maintain regional cooperation and ensure that the achievements of the North-East Governors’ Forum are sustained by future administrations.