Governors of the six North-East states have resolved to establish a regional air shuttle and partner with Green Ville Energy to expand Compressed Natural Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas stations across the subregion.
The resolutions were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 13th meeting of the North-East Governors’ Forum, held in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Saturday.
The forum, comprising Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states, said the measures were aimed at reducing transportation costs, improving the movement of people and goods and opening the region to greater economic activities.
The governors also acknowledged progress in regional cooperation over the past six years, saying their collective voice had produced tangible results in infrastructure and development.
The communiqué, signed by the forum’s Chairman and Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, said the planned air shuttle would make inter- and intra-regional movement “faster and easier.”
“The Forum also resolved to float the North-East regional Air shuttle which would make inter and intra-regional movement of people and goods faster and easier,” it stated.
On transportation, the governors said they would work with Green Ville Energy to build more CNG and LNG stations across the region.
“To ease the cost of transportation, strengthen logistics and open the region to more economic activities, the Forum agreed to partner with Green Ville Energy to build and provide more CNG and LNG stations within the region,” the communiqué stated.
The forum also welcomed the Federal Government’s support through the North-East Development Commission for the provision of 10,000 electric tricycles, 10 electric buses and 300 electric taxis, which it said were expected to be launched in October.
On infrastructure, the governors expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for renewed attention to the Port Harcourt–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe–Maiduguri rail corridor, the Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe–Biu–Maiduguri highway and frontier oil exploration at Kolmani.
However, the forum urged the Federal Government to revisit oil exploration activities earlier commenced but subsequently stalled in Magumeri and Gubio Local Government Areas of Borno State.
The governors also renewed their call for the completion and take-off of the Mambila Hydropower Project, urging the Federal Government to take advantage of the recent resolution of the legal dispute surrounding the project.
The forum noted that the Dadinkowa Hydropower Plant had commenced feeding the national grid and urged member states to exploit the opportunities provided by the new electricity law and the region’s abundant sunshine to expand solar and mini-grid solutions.
On security, the governors acknowledged what they described as “appreciable success” in the fight against insurgency, commending the Armed Forces and other security agencies for their sacrifices, as well as the resilience of residents.
The forum, however, said the region remained confronted by serious humanitarian and infrastructural challenges.
It therefore reaffirmed its commitment to supporting security agencies while strengthening inter-state cooperation, intelligence sharing, community engagement and coordinated responses to emerging threats.
The governors also stressed the need to address socio-economic conditions that could expose young people to exploitation by criminal and extremist elements.
On youth development, the forum described the North-East’s young population as both “an enormous opportunity and a responsibility,” pledging to promote quality education, vocational and entrepreneurial training, technology and employment opportunities.
The forum also called for increased investment by the NEDC in education, including the release of long-awaited scholarship awards to indigent students across the subregion.
It further urged greater efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children and provide coordinated support for Tsangaya education.
The governors acknowledged the intervention of the NEDC in the subregion but called for more resources to address the region’s educational challenges.
On environmental degradation, the forum decried the scale of deforestation across the North-East and resolved to partner with the Institute of Forest Research to train forest experts in the region.
The governors said their cooperation since the inaugural meeting in Gombe in March 2020 had continued to evolve, but acknowledged that the forum’s role remained a “work in progress.”
They recommitted to speaking with one voice and acting with one purpose on issues affecting security, social development, economic integration and infrastructure in the subregion.
The meeting was attended by Governor Zulum; Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri; Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya; Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Mohammed Auwal Jatau; Yobe State Deputy Governor, Idi Barde Gubana; and Borno State Deputy Governor, Umar Usman Kadafur.
The forum’s next meeting is scheduled for December 18–19, 2026, in Gombe State.
AFP
