Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has called on the need to raise the level of trans border cooperation on security for strategic and territorial action plans to work.
Zulum made the call during a Regional Security Meeting of seven other governors within the Lake Chad Basin in Younde, Cameroon.
This is contained in a statement on Tuesday by Malam Isa Gusau, the Special Adviser on Communications and Strategy to Zulum.
Zulum also stressed the need to address security, particularly in the shores of Lake Chad.
He lamented over the non-utilization of Lake Chad Basin’s shore which has huge economic potentials.
“Already, The Borno Government is making effort towards establishing free trade zones in Banki town Bama LGA, Gamboru in Ngala, Baga in Kukawa and Damasak in Mobbar LGA all in Borno, to enhance socio-economic activities within the Lake region in line with territorial action plans for stabilisation.
“I call on member states to engage in identifying and addressing root causes of Boko Haram crisis, and combine measures other than military operations,” he said.
Zulum also raised issues of de-radicalisation previously associated with Boko Haram.
He highlighted measures for youth engagement, through education, skills acquisition and social development programmes.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports other governors at the meeting are Issa Lamine of Diffa in Niger Republic; Midjiyawa Bakari of Far North of Cameroon; Abate Edii Jean from North Region of Cameroon.
Others are Mahamat Fadoul Mackaye from Lac Province of Chad and Amina Kodjyana Agnes – Hadjer Lami also from Chad, while Governors of Adamawa and Yobe States in northeast Nigeria, were represented.
The meeting was organised by the Lake Chad Basin Commission, with technical support from the African Union (AU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Crisis Management Initiative, the meeting was hosted by the Cameroonian Government in collaboration with the Lake Chad Governors’ Forum.
The meeting, which was declared open by the Cameroonian Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, accompanied by the Mayor of Younde, Mr Luc Messi Atangana, discussed security issues with focus on terror attacks and humanitarian impacts in the region.
The meeting also reviewed implementation of strategies for regional stabilization, which were adopted in 2019, during a similar meeting in Niamey, Niger Republic. (NAN)
