
Katsina State Governor, Dr. Dikko Umar Radda, has reaffirmed the commitment of the North West Governors’ Forum to addressing key challenges facing the region, particularly in agriculture, economic development, education, and security.
Speaking in an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, Governor Radda highlighted the importance of a collective approach among governors to tackle these issues effectively.
“I want to use this opportunity to reiterate that the North West Governors’ Forum started before our inauguration when we were elected as governors because we consider it very important. We need to put ourselves together because we cannot go individually,”he stated.
He emphasised the region’s agricultural potential, noting that about 90% of the population is engaged in agriculture or related activities.
“It is important for us to harness the resources we have, produce more food, ensure food security, and promote agribusiness in our region. We have no reason to be poor; we have no reason not to be rich because of the potentials we have.”
Beyond agriculture, Governor Radda noted that the governors have agreed to focus on economic development, particularly industrialisation and education.
“We equally agree that we need to look holistically at the economic development aspect of the region, pondering on all issues that have to do with industrialisation and ensuring that we allocate more resources to education.
“We must ensure that we reduce the number of out-of-school children to the barest minimum, alleviate poverty by investing in agriculture, and create an enabling environment for our youth to secure employment.”
With the North West region having the largest population in the country, Governor Radda stressed the need to harness this demographic advantage.
“This region has the highest population in the country in terms of regions. We will utilise this population for the good of our people, not otherwise.”
On the issue of insecurity, which has plagued the region for over a decade, Governor Radda noted the need for a coordinated regional response rather than individual state efforts.
“The most disturbing issue in the region over the last 10 years is insecurity. This challenge cuts across almost five states in the region, excluding Kano and Jigawa.
“We need to holistically examine it and provide different strategies to address the issue. Seeking support from the federal government at the regional level, rather than as individual states, will be more effective in tackling these security challenges.”
When asked about efforts to address the large number of out-of-school children, Governor Radda outlined the state’s substantial investment in education.
“When we came on board, we made sure to invest heavily in education. If you look at our 2024 and 2025 budgets, education has the highest allocation. We are giving it priority by creating more schools and recruiting over 7,000 new teachers in the state. As I speak to you, we have built more than 150 new junior and secondary schools.”
On the regional economic agenda, Governor Radda confirmed that the North West governors have agreed to prioritise investment in agriculture and its value chain.
“The regional economic agenda for the North West is to invest heavily in agriculture and the agricultural value chain because that is our strength.”
Boluwatife Enome
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