North east governors forum is long over due

The North East is one of the most backward geopolitical zones in the country where most of the people wallow in abject poverty. The Boko Haram insurgency unfortunately compounded the plight of the people of the region.

There are also huge development challenges in most of the states that those in the position of authority have failed to address or draw attention to.

As a result, people in the zone lack the most basic dividends of democracy while transparency and accountability in governance are brazenly abused. These are crucial issues that any genuinely concerned person cannot ignore.

The region has instead been in a state of motion without progress. Credit must however be given to members of the National Assembly and prominent citizens from the region for the relentless push for the establishment of the North East Development Commission (NEDC). Our prayer is that the Commission will not go the way of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC).

The recent meeting of governors from the region with Mr. President and the service chiefs as eloquently explained by their Chairman, Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum briefly captured some of the most pressing problems.

There are however some equally daunting challenges that were not highlighted. All stakeholders, especially the federal and state governments and the security forces are expected to address the problems facing the people in the region squarely.

The major concerns of the people of the region are absence of security and good governance. The prevailing situation in the region requires urgent action because the poverty level remains a veritable threat to national security and development.

State governments in the North East have no option than to cooperate with the federal government, the military and other security forces because pockets of insurgents still exist in many communities in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

No one in my view should be deluded to think that the insurgents have been totally wiped out. The state of insecurity in areas on the shores of Lake Chad and intermittent attacks on some communities in Southern Borno also deserve special attention.

The ongoing clearance operations by security forces should be complemented vigorously. The gallant security forces require massive support and concerted steps to gradually restore civil authority in the impacted communities, which have been extensively depopulated. Security operatives are currently the only occupants of many towns and villages. Something definitely needs to be done to restore the confidence of people to return to their communities.

What the pauperised and downtrodden people in the North East now require most is a reasonable level of security to enable them fend for themselves. The gravity of the situation is underscored by the level of hunger and want in communities.  The solution is definitely not in giving them palliatives because, much as this is required, there is no certainty on its timely availability.

The security forces should prioritise a change of strategy that will entail pursuing and taking out the insurgents and it is reassuring that the president recently disclosed that advanced capabilities and assets for the security forces are being awaited. We sincerely hope the strategic requirements of the intelligence organisations have also been factored into these arrangements.

Revisiting security deployments in the entire North East is also very necessary. It has been observed that the region is too vast to be effectively policed by the current strength and deployments of the security forces. There is nowhere in the country that the challenge of ungoverned spaces is as pronounced as in the North East, except perhaps in the North West and the North Central. The federal government, in my candid view, must be commended for the ongoing steps to equip the security forces. Security organisations that have already commissioned new outposts and rehabilitated those destroyed by the insurgents deserve commendation. I must advise that the most strategic assets required to deal with insurgency, armed bandits and rampaging herdsmen are drone capabilities, helicopter gunships and a more robust Command and Control Centre. In addition, the strength of nearly all the security forces should be significantly increased in the region along with revamping intelligence gathering structures and assets to achieve the desired result. It is gratifying to note that these deficiencies are currently the priority of the State Security Service under the pragmatic leadership of Alhaji Yusuf Bichi. These efforts should be emulated by other security and paramilitary organisations for desired impact.

An informed threat analysis of the current security situation in the North East particularly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States will reveal that proliferation of dangerous weapons and use of illegal firearms rank high. Necessary steps should be taken to mop up illegal firearms in circulation not only in the North East but in the whole country. The recent directive by the Inspector General of Police to State Commissioners of Police should accordingly be supported by all security agencies.

I must nevertheless commend the efforts of Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum to put the misery of the insurgency behind us although the enormity of the security, humanitarian and development challenges are too enormous for the state governments. Assistance from the federal government is therefore desirable as the states in the zone are among those with the weakest revenue base and financial capacity. Lest I forget, Governor Zulum must be commended for re-inventing leadership and governance in Borno State.

Immediate robust federal government intervention in rehabilitating infrastructure destroyed by the insurgents across the geopolitical zone is necessary. People in the North East have been wondering why destroyed infrastructure has not attracted the desired attention. Deplorable state of roads is currently among the most challenging situations facing the people. Rehabilitation of security posts and related critical infrastructure, especially rebuilding the bridges destroyed by insurgents is also high in the demands of the people. Contracts for rebuilding the bridges between Adamawa and Borno States have reportedly been awarded but the problem is that some of the contractors are allegedly least qualified and fronting for some powerful interests. The bridges are important to the people in the two states as symbols of federal presence vital to kick starting socio-economic activity. Federal presence in these states is comparatively low and demands for increased federal presence should therefore be of concern to everyone especially the North East Governors Forum and the North East Development Commission (NEDC).

Finally, it is not advisable for states in the North East to set up sub regional security outfits as being canvassed currently in parts of the country. They should instead explore the possibility of strengthening the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and adopting aspects of community policing to boost security arrangements already on ground.

The Forum of North East Governors is welcome to complement the efforts of the federal and state governments in restoring normalcy to the region. It must however be stressed again that the interests of the traumatised people of the region should be their main concern.

1. A. GADZAMA OFR, mni is former DG, SSS and Chairman, Governing Board of National Institute for Security Studies.