8th February, 2013
Plagued by a combination of violence and underdevelopment, leaders in the North-eastern zone meet to chart a new course for the socio-economic development of the zone
With low enrolment in schools, high infant and maternal mortality and increasing level of poverty in the region, the North-east geo-political zone is ranked low in all human development indices in Nigeria. The situation has been further compounded by the current security challenge which has led to wanton destruction of life and property, and adversely affected socio-economic activities in the region.
A report released by the National Bureau of Statistics last year indicated that, at 76.3 per cent, the zone has the second highest poverty rate in the country, topped only by the North-west zone with 77.7 per cent.
As former Head of State, General Abubakar Abdulsalami opined while recently reviewing the situation in the zone, it would take about 20 years of constant effort to revive the northern part of the country from its current ‘fever’ of insecurity and the attendant under-development. In his words: “Right now, the Boko Haram insurgency is eating it up like a cancer, and it will require bold initiatives by northerners to find a solution, by influencing both the insurgency and the government. It will take 20 years to revive the North. A lot of socio-economic damages have been done. If you go round the affected areas, that is when you will appreciate the extent of damages done to the region. We have to work together to revive it.”
Abdulsalami is not the only one bothered by the situation. For some time now, the zone has been under the siege of Islamic militants, prompting concern within the country and by the international community. The disturbing situation prompted the recent convergence of governors from the zone on the Yankari Resort and Safari in Bauchi State for a two-day North-East Alliance For Transformation Summit, organised to find a lasting solution to insecurity and other problems in the region. The summit saw all the states in the zone – Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and Taraba – coming together to chart a common course for socio-economic development.
The summit opened up an avenue for participants from the six states to meet minds with intellectuals, members of the private and public sectors as well as members of the international community on the massive problems bedevilling the people, while practical efforts were directed at proffering solutions. From President Goodluck Jonathan, represented by the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, through the governors, who led their various state delegates, to stakeholders and resource persons who presented papers on diverse areas of economy, politics, security and development, there was no mincing words that the zone, and indeed the entire country, was yearning for development efforts.
Of particular emphasis was the issue of insecurity. “I hope this summit will not be a talk show. I hope you will identify at least four to five ways in tackling these problems in the next one year; that is, before the next summit. Governors of North-east region should work collectively to solve this problem in order to have peace in the region because insecurity is a reality in the region,” President Jonathan noted.
This charge was not lost on the governors, who appeared overwhelmed by the hydra-headed problem. Bauchi’s Governor Isa Yuguda, who played host to the delegates, remarked that “for quite a long time the sub-region has remained one of the least developed, if not the least developed, of the six geo-political zones in the country.”
According to Yuguda: “It is rather paradoxical that in spite of the enormous land, abundant solid minerals and tourism potential with which the North-east sub region is endowed, it still ranks as the least developed in the country. The problem of the region is not therefore lack of resources but the failure to harness the abundant resources for its socio-economic development.”
In a paper, titled ‘Projecting A Positive International Image For The North-east’, Brian Browne noted that, “When you construct and manage a society, young men between the ages of 16-35 are the most combustible group. If you don’t handle them carefully by giving them meaningful things to do, you will have trouble on your hands. We have too many idle young men today. We need to dismantle this chronic idleness and poverty which has become a factory of violence. Law enforcement must play its role but something much bigger is needed because the violence has become part of the system.”
Browne charged the leaders on the need to rise up to the challenge.
Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, who particularly blamed the regime of insecurity that has bedevilled the state and the North-east in general on the federal government, which he accused of failing to tackle underdevelopment in the region, said the six governors of the region must also share blame in the security challenges in the zone. He stressed that it was unfortunate that the Jonathan government had failed to invest in agriculture, health and education – key areas that would have reduced poverty in the region.
After two days of intensive brainstorming, leaders in the zone arrived at a 20-point communiqué, resolving that all stakeholders – including elected and appointed officials, traditional rulers, youth and labour organisations, farmers, industrialists, government and non-governmental organisations – come together and adopt a holistic approach to addressing the socio-economic challenges facing the zone. The leaders, in line with the objectives of the summit, agreed to join forces with other stakeholders, while calling on the governors from the sub-region to pool resources to meet the challenges of insecurity, heath, agriculture, tourism and culture. Expressing serious concern about the violent activities of the Boko Haram Islamic sect that has crippled socio-economic growth and development in the region, the governors called on President Jonathan to accelerate the proposed peace talks with the sect in order to bail out their states from the stiff grip of the insurgents and create a lasting peace that will bring about socio-economic growth and development.
The leaders, in the communiqué, further resolved that, “Governors of the zone should set out targets on short, medium and long term bases, to achieve the economic development goals of the zone. The governors of the zone should also employ the services of professionals to prepare strategic plans for the economic development of the sub-region.
—Desmond Utomwen/Abuja