Northeast Governors Strategise for Way Forward for The Almajiri, Unemployment, Rape...

Daily Rendezvous

Northeast governors forum has began to strategise how to intergrade the 'Almajiri' system into formal system of western education in order to stem the tide of unemployment among young people in the zone as a result of lack of education.

The chairman of the North East Governors Forum and governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, kick-starting the meeting said, the recent youth restiveness witnessed in the country is a direct result of a blooming youth unemployment in the north east and the country at large and that government has a responsibility to create avenues for gainful employment and engaging the youth in productive ventures in order to curb the security threat posed by unemployment.

Zulum said, education remains the most potent tool in addressing unemployment and creating gainful employment for youths in the north east region in order to curb the menace of insurgency and kidnapping.

Zulum made this known in his opening remarks at the third meeting of the North East Governors Forum, held in Yola, Thursday.

In his opening remarks kick-starting the meeting, Babagana Zulum noted that, the north east region has been bedevilled with myriads of security issues including the lingering Boko Haram insurgency, kidnappings and banditry saying these multifaceted security challenges have enormous effects on the economic and socio wellbeing of the region.

He sàid, in addressing the issue of terrorism in the region, the regional governors forum will deliberate on ways for facilitating prosecution of those convicted with terrorism within the region in order to expedite speedy dispensation of justice.

He said, "As we deliberate the scourge of terrorism and terror groups within the north east, we need to fashion out ways of facilitating the prosecution of those charged with terrorism."

He explained that the governors of the region are worried about the rate of youth unemployment that has degenerated into youth restiveness as evident in the EndSARS protest.

He said, "There is a daunting problem of youth unemployment in the north east which is increasingly becoming a serious cause of concern.

"The EndSARS protest was one of the direct consequences of youth unemployment which unfortunately degenerated into youth restiveness."

The governor said, the forum will also look into the worrying phenomenon of 'almajiri' system with the view to integrating it into the western formal system of education in order to reduce the threat of leaving behind an army of vulnerable youths that might become harvested as tools for dangerous elements like the Boko Haram insurgents, bandits and kidnappers.

The meeting is also expected to look into the challenges of rape in the region also with a view to pushing for the domestication of federal laws against rape in the respective states that constitutes the forum.

The meeting was attended by the governors of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, governor Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe state, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Ishaku Darius of Taraba, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state and the host, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.