On security and economic issues, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal on Monday asked governors of the 11 northern states to speak with one voice.
The governor made the request at the Abuja Continental Hotel during the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialization Summit.
Sulaiman Bala Idris, the governor’s representative, stated in a statement that Lawal presided over the summit’s opening day.
He disclosed that Professor Ango Abdullahi, the head of Professor Ango Abdullahi’s Northern Elders Forum, organized the investment summit, citing the fact that it attracted all relevant parties from the northern region of Nigeria.
Governor Lawal praised the Northern Elders Forum for its ongoing commitment to the development of the Northern region in his remarks.
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You have once more demonstrated a clear-eyed focus on our collective future by convening this gathering under the theme of “Unlocking Strategic Opportunities,” he said.
The combination of sectors—mining, agriculture, and power—is not accidental. It is an objective assessment of the foundational pillars of Northern Nigeria’s prosperity. We are aware of the paradox that surrounds Zamfara: despite having vast arable land and immense mineral wealth, our people still haven’t fully benefited from these endowments.
The key question for leaders is not what needs to be done, but how can we can turn potential into prosperity. We must adopt a new form of collaboration and move beyond rhetoric in order to attract the investment needed to industrialize our region for the benefit of the nation. ”
A safe North is a bankable North, according to Governor Lawal, and leaders from the 19 Northern States must work together beyond politics.
We must secure investments and people as a whole. Any meaningful development must first be secured in order to be meaningful. Investors are not philanthropists, both domestically and internationally; They believe in reality. They won’t invest in areas that are unsafe. To create a secure and predictable environment, we must integrate our security architectures, share intelligence in real-time, and encourage more community policing.
Our commitment to Zamfara is unwavering. In the mining industry, formalization, regulation, and value addition are the key components of our transition from the past, which was of informality and illegality. By promoting agro-processing, mechanization, and credit access, we are revitalizing our agricultural sector. And we’re creating the foundation of everything: a secure, stable environment.
