Northern Speakers endorse devolution of powers, state police, challenge northern governors to unite against insecurity

Speakers of the 19 northern states, comprising the Northern Speakers’ Forum at a meeting in Kaduna, Kaduna State, on Tuesday, declared their support for devolution of powers from the central to the state governments, as well as the establishment of state police. The Speakers in consensus challenged the governors of the 19 northern states to unite in the fight against the different forms of insecurity in the northeast, northwest and north central.

The Northern Governors Forum in a communique at the end of its meeting in Kaduna, urged the federal government to use the opportunity provided by the constitution review process to approve state police. The Speakers Forum, while advocating for devolution of power, demanded the federal government to appoint security professionals to train local vigilante groups in several localities.

Chairman of the Northern Speakers Forum, Hon. Yusuf Ibrahim Zailani, Chairman of the Northern Speakers Conference, in his opening remarks at the Second Regional Conference in Kaduna, decried that the security situation in the north is worsening, impoverishing more people in the region.

The Speaker lamented that the costs of food items are rising because of scarcity due to fear of the farmers to go to their farms because of the security threats, he added that it is a serious problem.

According to Zailani, “Our farmers are afraid of going to their farms over apprehension of being kidnapped or even killed.”