On May 1st, 2025, the North-East Governors' Forum (NEGF) gathered in Damaturu, Yobe State, for its 11th meeting. As expected, the communiqué highlighted the usual challenges: insecurity, poverty, youth unemployment, and poor infrastructure. But once again, the people were left asking, where is the action?
For a region battered by more than a decade of insurgency and chronic underdevelopment, the NEGF was established to serve as a platform for coordinated regional action. Yet, so far, it has largely produced statements, not solutions.
In Damaturu, there were no joint security initiatives announced, no regional development framework unveiled, and no funding commitments made. Instead, governors repeated calls to the federal government, the same pattern we've seen over the years. Unfortunately, press releases do not build roads, create jobs, or secure communities.
To the forum's credit, the tone shifted slightly at its 12th meeting, held in Jalingo, Taraba State, in August 2025. There, the governors acknowledged the progress made in the fight against insurgency and emphasized the need to sustain those gains. They also showed awareness of the climate crisis, calling for the relocation of flood-prone communities and the reconstruction of roads and bridges destroyed by floods.
They resolved to revive the North East Trade Fair, set to take place in Maiduguri this December, and discussed the development of a regional solar energy masterplan. This is a welcome idea for a region where power supply remains a major challenge. They also pledged support to the University of Maiduguri on its 50th anniversary, reinforcing the importance of education in rebuilding the region.
These are steps in the right direction. But they are still just that steps. What is missing is a clear roadmap, a timeline, and a system for tracking progress.
Without a regional implementation plan, these communiqués risk becoming yet another round of well-worded promises. The governors must move beyond talk by creating a joint regional security task force to address cross-border criminality, developing a shared economic and infrastructure masterplan backed by pooled resources, establishing a monitoring and evaluation committee to track progress and report regularly to the public, and ensuring that projects like the Trade Fair and solar plan are not just proposed, but executed and measured.
It is time the NEGF truly embodies the spirit of regional collaboration. The issues confronting the North-East do not stop at state borders. Neither should the solutions.
The people of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, and Taraba deserve more than repeated communiqués. They deserve leadership that delivers real results they can see and feel.
If the Jalingo meeting is to be remembered as a turning point, it must be followed by visible action. The region is watching and waiting. Enough talk. Let the rebuilding begin