The decision by the seven governors of the North West, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and support from the German and Norwegian governments, among other partners, to convoke the first peace and security summit, couldn't have come at a better time, considering the number of lives and sources of livelihood lost in the decade-long crisis that has bedevilled the region.
The meeting was held in Katsina between 24 and 25 June 2024.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, spoke on how leaders at national and subnational levels must work together and restore sanity in the region to lift the citizens out of poverty.
Shettima said government at the centre adopted kinetic and non-kinetic interventions, including the Pulaku initiative, which will address the root causes of disputes and insecurity in the region.
The Pulaku (a word which means code of moral conduct in Fulfulde), is a large-scale resettlement programme of the federal government meant to address the root causes of clashes between farmers and herders in various parts of the country.
The programme will initially focus on seven states that have been disproportionately affected by farmers-herders conflicts, including Sokoto, Kebbi, Benue, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger and Kaduna. The initiative aims to revitalize these communities through the construction of residences, roads, schools and essential facilities.
Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State (who was the chief host), Umar Namadi (Jigawa) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), explained what they are doing at individual levels and as a regional group.
The governors of Sokoto and Kaduna were represented by their deputies - Engr Idris Gobir and Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, while that of Kano was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Abdullahi Bappa Bichi.
What featured prominently during the two-day meeting was that all those in attendance agreed that there is an existential problem which must be tackled head on.
The governors, for instance, have resolved to work together through robust regional cooperation to solve the seemingly intractable security challenge.
Bearing in mind the theme of the summit which is 'Regional Cooperation for Securing Lives and Livelihoods', Governor Radda said they have identified what to work on to get enduring peace.
"...We have agreed to come up with our state-owned security outfits, and three (states) already have theirs. Kebbi is in the pipeline and Kaduna already has an existing local security arrangement."
Radda said on agriculture, they would look at the comparative advantage of each state and take advantage of it as a region.
His counterpart from Zamfara, Lawal, said there was no doubt Nigeria has what it takes to handle bandits, adding that it was wrong to think the criminals could overpower the government.
Governor Namadi of Jigawa, on his part, said using community-based conflict resolution mechanism remains the best option for the region, stating that economic activities have returned to two local government areas in his state, in which for the past 25 years, farmer-herder crises had prevented farming activities.
The UNDP's Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms Elsie Attafuah, said the North West region has nearly 30 per cent of Nigeria's population, which is very crucial for the nation to achieve its full potential.
"We are here today because the worst region in Nigeria today deserves a brighter future. Peace, security and development are like three musketeers - inseparable and equally important - because without peace, development stagnates, without development, peace remains a distant dream, and without security, none can fly.
"So, addressing one without the other is like trying to fix a leaking roof during a rain storm," she said.
While Governor Radda said they have already established a secretariat that will work on an agreement on all the submissions made, "urge them to quickly come up with a roadmap accompanied with timelines on how the decisions would be actualised."
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Daily Trust believes that it is necessary that decisions taken at such high a profile meeting should translate to tangible actions that could be seen, and change the lives of the people for the better.
We recall the recent visit of some northern governors to the United States as part of efforts to find a lasting solution to the insecurity ravaging most parts of northern Nigeria.
We hope that they would blend the outcomes of these meetings with home-grown, local solutions that would be acceptable to all sides, while at the same time making a deliberate attempt to fill perceived gaps.
Post-conflict investment in infrastructure like roads, among others, is good. However, the issue of food insecurity and social dislocation are existential problems in the North West and other parts of the country, and must be given priority attention above other things.
