Northern Governors’ Forum
Northern governors condemn Zamfara schoolgirls abduction
The Northern States Governors Forum on Friday condemned another attack on Government Secondary School, Jangebe, in Zamfara State where hundreds of schoolgirls were abducted, saying enough is enough. Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, in a statement, said this trend is unacceptable and that strong measures must be taken to put an end to it before it escalated into a monster that would consume educational pursuit and national aspirations. Lalong said this development, which is coming on the heels of the abduction of school children in Kagara, Niger State still being addressed, called for serious concerns among all Nigerians. He said “as Northern Governors, we are deeply saddened by this embarrassing and unfortunate attack on our children who are in schools to ...
Benue berates Bauchi governor over comments
The Benue State Government has described as shocking claims by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed that Governor Samuel Ortom was responsible for the negative perception of Fulani by other Nigerians. The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Samuel Ortom on Animal Husbandry, Alhaji Shehu Tambaya, stated this in a chat with newsmen on Sunday. Tambaya, who described as unfortunate, Governor Mohammed’s statement about Governor Ortom, insisting that people from all works of life live do business in all parts of Benue without any problem. He maintained that although he would not want to join issues with Governor Mohammed, Governor Ortom has proven to be a lover of all Nigerians irrespective of political, ethnic or religious inclination. ‘Governor Mohammed is only trying to defend what is undefen...
Northern governors hail release of abducted Kankara schoolboys
The Northern Governors Forum has welcomed with excitement the release of the abducted students of Government Science School Kankara, Katsina State. Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Bako Lalong while reacting to the development, commended President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Aminu Masari, security agencies, community leaders and all stakeholders who contributed in making sure the school boys were released unharmed. He said the release of the students will comfort and assuage the parents and the entire country which has been agonized since the children were kidnapped. Lalong said with the release of the students, further measures must be put in place to ensure that this ugly incident does not occur again while thorough investigation should also carried out to ensure...
Governor El-Rufai: Killing of policemen evil
Gov. Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State on Monday described the killing of policemen by protesters in some parts of the country as evil. El-Rufai, who spoke to newsmen in Kaduna after the meeting of the Northern Governors Forum and traditional rulers as well as other key stakeholders in the region, said that the police must be supported to discharge their duties. He said that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had briefed the meeting on the #EndSARS protest and its aftermath. “We support the police, we believe that there may be some bad eggs in the police just as there are bad eggs in any organisation, but it is no excuse to destroy or kill policemen. “We hope to expand the footprints and the effectiveness of the Nigerian police in accordance with their mandate. “We have discusse...
Northern governors back social media regulation
The Northern Governors Forum on Monday expressed support for proposals to regulate the social media to check the spread of fake news in the country. The Forum expressed its support in a communique issued by its Chairman and Governor of Plateau, Mr Simon Lalong. This followed the governors meeting in Kaduna, which was attended by traditional rulers and other key stakeholders in the region. The meeting took note of the devastating effect of the uncontrolled social media in spreading fake news and called for major control mechanisms andcensorship of social media practice in Nigeria. It also expressed support for the reform of the police to strengthen their capacity. “Forum appreciates the major reforms going on in the Police Force and pledges to support Mr. President on this course. “The meet...
Northern governors congratulate Yahaya Bello over victory at Supreme Court
The Northern Governors Forum has congratulated Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi, over his election victory at the Supreme Court. The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau, Simon Lalong, congratulated Bello in a message by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Macham, on Monday in Jos. Lalong said Bello’s victory was an affirmation of the mandate Kogi people entrusted on him, which he should work hard to justify. “The Supreme Court judgment affirming your election victory gives you an opportunity to settle down to serve your people and fulfill their aspirations without any distraction. “The people have already reposed their confidence in you and are looking up to you for the dividends of democracy,” he said. Lalong assured Bello that members of the Forum would continue to supp...
Kaduna strike: Northern governors call for calm
The Northern Governors Forum has called for calm and dialogue between Kaduna State Government and organised labour, to resolve the ongoing warning strike by workers in the state. The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Plateau, Mr Simon Lalong, made the call in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr. Makut Macham, on Tuesday in Jos. He said the forum was concerned of the impact of the strike on the state and its residents following the lockdown of economic activities in the state. The chairman noted that dialogue and negotiations were effective tools of addressing dispute in labour relations. He called for restraint and de-escalation of the situation to enable amicable resolutions. He pointed out that peaceful resolution was only possible when both parties operate wi...