Governors from the Northwest geopolitical zone gathered at the United Nations House in Abuja on Friday to seek UN assistance in addressing a wide range of developmental concerns in their region.
Dikko Radda, the chairman of the Northwest Governors Forum and governor of Katsina State, presided over the high-level conference, which also included governors and representatives from Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara states.
This was contained in a statement signed by the National Information Officer, UN Information Centre, in Abuja, Oluseyi Soremekun, on Friday.
The Northwest governors highlighted pressing issues including insecurity, multidimensional poverty, a significant number of out-of-school children, increased drug abuse, high child and maternal mortality rates, and substantial youth unemployment.
They pointed out that approximately 80 per cent of the region’s population depends on agriculture, which is severely impacted by land degradation and climate change, resulting in diminished yields.
They also raised concerns about high levels of child malnutrition.
Radda emphasised the need for a coordinated regional approach to effectively combat poverty and unemployment, the main drivers of insecurity in the region.
“The only way we can surmount the challenges of the Northwest is through a regional approach, which demands that we work together in a coordinated manner.
“We need to collectively fight poverty and unemployment, being the major root causes of insecurity in the region,” he said.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Fall, expressed his appreciation for the strong leadership and commitment shown by the Northwest governors.
Fall assured them of the UN’s support in tackling the region’s development issues.
“The UN in Nigeria is encouraged to see the strong leadership and commitment of Northwest Governors to improving the well-being of their people.
“We will continue to support the government and people of Northwest Nigeria.
“Together, we will rescue and accelerate the agenda 2030 for sustainable development in the region,” Fall remarked.
Fall noted that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria is crucially dependent on the success of the Northwest region, which would have a positive ripple effect across Africa.
The UN has identified six key areas for accelerating SDG achievement: food systems, education, social protection and jobs, energy access, climate change, and digital transformation.