By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
The Northeast Governors’ Forum (NEGF) has expressed concern over the menace of the proliferation of mining, be it legal or illegal, in the sub-region.
This was contained in a communiqué, issued at the end of the 8th session of the governors forum, held in Maiduguri, Borno State on Saturday, 9th- September, 2023, signed by the chairman, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.
Nigeria is made up of six geopolitical zones, with the North East comprising Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, and Taraba States.
Arising from the meeting which had the governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe in attendance and those of Gombe and Taraba represented by their deputies, the forum presented the communiqué, part of which touched on the nexus between indiscriminate mining without recourse to the law, including abuse of mining lease, and the growing insecurity in the zone.
The Forum therefore called on the respective state governments to enforce compliance with the provisions of local consent as contained in Nigerian Mining Policy and with the provisions of the Land Use Act.
The forum equally frowned at, among others, the deplorable condition of the roads and railways linking the zone to other parts of the country along the North East-South-South corridor, calling on the federal government to come to the rescue.
The communique reads in part: “Forum noted with dismay the seeming neglect of road and railway infrastructure especially along the economic corridors that links the Northeast sub-region to the rest of the country. The roads from Enugu to Maiduguri is in deplorable State.
“Equally worse is the railway from the Enugu up to Maiduguri which has been destroyed. The Forum is calling on the federal government to look into the situation and consider the reconstruction of these basic infrastructures along Enugu-Maiduguri Economic Corridor. This is a major route for regional trade and very important for integration, peace building and improving national unity.”