By Audrey Lotechukwu
FRI, 27 NOV, 2020-theGBJournal-The Northeast Governors Forum (NEGF) ended their 3-day meeting in Yola today, taking a swipe at the Federal Government’s N45.32 billion 2021 proposed budget allocation to the region, and concluding that the Northeast is highly short changed.
‘’Forum demands the National Assembly to review the 2021 budget in the spirit of equity and inclusion. It equally mandates the Northeast caucus of both the Senate and House of Representative to take immediate steps to redress this imbalance,’’ the Governors of the region comprising Governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States said, after noting with dismay the infrastructural deficit in the Northeast.
The Forum in their notes read by Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, Chairman, Northeast Governors Forum and Executive Governor of Borno State said, that the Sub-region has been unfairly treated in the provision of roads infrastructure by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.
It further noted with dismay the slow or outright non existent progress on the pace of the roads already allocated in the sub region and calls for the immediate reactivation and review of the comatose existing road contracts in the sub-region.
Among other issues discussed and highlighted are the lack of budgetary provision in respect of the Mambilla Hydro Project in the 2021 Budgetary Proposals, the challenges of education in the sub region which the Forum resolved to adopt a regional approach by being deliberate on transforming education, especially at the basic level. Forum also agreed to form the Northeast Council on Education.
It also reaffirmed the commitment of member States within the sub region to enforce the UBEC Law ‘’to protect and ensure all children have an opportunity to acquire basic education,’’ while calling on the NEDC to expedite action on the development of the Northeast Strategic Master Plan.
The Forum said the plan should ensure projects are demand-driven to ensure impact and accountability and expressed discomfort at a situation where projects are imposed on the States without due consultation.
The Governors also touched on Gender based violence which they say is still a major nuisance in the sub-region, and called on all the Governors of the zone to domesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015 and ensure the rapid dispensation of justice on gender-based violence.
They equally resolved to engage Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP), to provide technical support in key areas of development such as Agriculture and Education.
The next meeting of the Forum would hold from 3rd – 4th March, 2021 at Bauchi.
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