The North East Governors' Forum, chaired by Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno, has called upon the military to take action against insurgents who refuse to surrender during the ongoing mass surrender of terrorists in the sub-region. Governor Zulum, speaking at the 8th forum meeting in Maiduguri, praised the military for their efforts in bringing relative peace to the area but emphasized the need to deal with those insurgents who remain in hiding.

He acknowledged the military's dedication in the fight against insurgency and their significant progress towards ending it in the sub-region. Governor Zulum urged the Nigerian military to track down insurgents who are unwilling to lay down their arms, pursue them to their remote hideouts, and neutralize those who refuse to surrender. He expressed concern about the negative impact of insurgency on the region's socio-economic activities and stressed the importance of subduing the terrorists to accelerate development efforts.


Governor Zulum also addressed other pressing issues, such as the challenges posed by erratic rainfall and last year's devastating floods. He called for the Federal Government's intervention and highlighted the need for new farming methods, with a particular emphasis on irrigation farming. Additionally, he urged the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to support irrigation farming and provide critical infrastructure to foster sustainable development in the sub-region.

The governor discussed illegal mining and proposed a partnership with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals to address this issue. He also drew attention to the recent constitutional amendment that shifted Power Generation and Railway Transportation from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list. Governor Zulum emphasized the significance of this change in enabling the sub-region to develop independent power supply and rail transportation.

The meeting was graced by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who commended the unity of the governors in facing challenges, regardless of their party affiliations. Additionally, N15 billion in palliatives was presented to the governors by NEDC during the meeting.