FIC Report (Nasarawa State) – Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State and Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum has challenged organizers of the forthcoming North Central Security Summit to move beyond speeches and produce concrete, funded strategies capable of addressing the region’s worsening security challenges.
Governor Sule made the call on Thursday when he received a delegation from the Presidency and the Ministry of Defence at the Government House, Lafia, while assuring them of his full support and personal attendance at the summit scheduled for August 31 in Makurdi, Benue State.
The delegation comprised the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Community Engagement, North Central, Dr Abiodun Essiet, and the Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence, Mr Bankole Olusonya, who briefed the Governor on preparations for the high-level security engagement.
Governor Sule described the summit as timely, particularly coming shortly after his meeting with senior military officers over the newly approved brigade formations for Nasarawa State.
“You have my buy-in as far as security is concerned in this region,” the Governor said, assuring the delegation that he would personally attend the summit in Makurdi.
He, however, urged the organisers to ensure that the event produces practical outcomes rather than becoming another “talk shop.”
According to him, invitations to governors in the region should be jointly extended by the Ministry of Defence, the Presidency and the North Central Governors’ Forum to underscore the seriousness of the engagement.
He also recommended that state delegations should include traditional rulers, community leaders, security advisers, youth representatives and heads of vigilante groups, stressing that local stakeholders must be part of any sustainable security solution.
“Let us not draw a bogus programme at the end of the day and not be implemented because nobody is funding it,” Sule warned.
The Governor insisted that every participating state should arrive with clearly defined commitments, responsibilities and funding arrangements capable of translating summit resolutions into measurable action.
He further highlighted the need for stronger cooperation among North Central states, citing the porous boundaries shared by Nasarawa with Benue, Plateau and Kaduna States.
According to him, the movement of communities of Tiv, Mada, Alago and Fulani extraction across state boundaries has made it difficult for individual states to tackle insecurity in isolation.
“Our borders are so porous because of the ethnic nationalities that are from both states,” he explained, noting that criminals often exploit inter-state boundaries by committing offences in one state and seeking refuge in another.
Governor Sule also linked regional security to the protection of investments and economic development, citing the $250 million lithium processing plant being developed in Nasarawa State.
He disclosed that investors had personally appealed to President Tinubu for stronger security around their businesses, warning that insecurity could undermine major investments and economic opportunities.
“They do not want these investments to be challenged in any way whatsoever,” he said.
Earlier, Dr Abiodun Essiet said the summit, which will be chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, was one of the most anticipated security engagements in the country because of the scale of insecurity confronting the North Central region.
Essiet disclosed that a survey covering 121 local government areas across the zone would provide a basis for discussions at the summit, alongside plans to launch an early warning and early response network.
Also speaking, Mr Bankole Olusonya said the North Central summit was modelled on a similar security engagement held in the South East.
He appealed to Governor Sule, as Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum, to use his position to mobilize other governors in the region for full participation.
“Security is actually local and is also a whole of society approach,” Olusonya said, expressing optimism that the summit could lead to governors in the region signing a formal framework for coordinated security action.
The summit is expected to bring together governors, traditional institutions, security agencies, community leaders and other stakeholders to develop a coordinated response to insecurity across the North Central zone.
ARI, LIMAN AMINU.
HEAD OF CENTRE.
FIC, LAFIA.
