Niger state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has called for collaboration between the Northern Governors Forum and the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) as part of efforts to provide a lasting solution to the challenges facing the north.
Speaking when he received the committee on the forum’s 20th anniversary in his office, Bello said the time has come for the ACF and Northern Governors to work together including the traditional rulers to address the major challenges of insecurity, education, primary healthcare among other issues in the North keeping aside religious, tribal and political differences.
“I have had a series of meetings with the Plateau State Governor who is also the Chairman, Northern Governors Forum with regards to how best the synergy between Northern Governors Forum and the ACF will be implemented. This has become absolutely necessary in view of the fact that we are faced with so many challenges that require collective effort to tackle.
“We are running out of time and unless something drastically is done I am afraid that in no distant time we have serious problems. The earlier we come up with a robust solution the better,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko who led the members to government house said their visit was in preparation of the forum’s forthcoming 20th anniversary which he said has been slated for March this year.
He said they were going round the northern states to ensure that stakeholders come together to work towards restoring the lost glory of the region especially in the areas of security, education, youth empowerment and agriculture among others.