SECURITY TOPS AGENDA as NORTH-CENTRAL GOVS MEET TODAY
Governors of North-Central states and the representative of the Federal Capital Territory will converge on Makurdi, the Benue State capital, today (Monday) to discuss the security situation in the country, especially in the region.
The North-Central states are Plateau, Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi as well as the FCT.
Sources informed our correspondent that the governors would also discuss other issues affecting the region.
The sources added that top on the agenda was the security challenges occasioned by herdsmen/farmers’ conflict.
During their meeting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, early this year, the governors had adopted the community policing strategy as an effective tool in bringing policing to the grassroots.
Since then, the security situation in the zone has continued to deteriorate.
Today’s meeting will review the strategy and is expected to plug necessary loopholes.
On the economy, the recent lockdown occasioned by COVID-19 outbreak and recession have seriously affected the zone, whose economic mainstay is agriculture.
The governors, according to sources, will also be looking at raising internally revenue generation in order to keep the states afloat.
One of the sources stated, “Items on the agenda for the meeting include security and the economy of the North-Central states, particularly ways the governments of the region can raise internally generated revenue for greater development of their respective states.
“This is not the first time governors in this zone will be meeting; I think in January this year, they met in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State.
“So, Makurdi, the capital of Benue will be playing host to the governors from the North-Central states tomorrow, December 21, 2020.”
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the Benue State Governor, Terver Akase, confirmed the meeting of the governors in Makurdi today.
“Yes, governors of the North-Central states will be converging on Makurdi on Monday to discuss issues affecting the zone,” he said.