……Seven Governors Unite on Security, Jobs, Investment as UN Pledges Support for Regional Transformation
By Abdullahi Inuwa
Katsina State Governor and Chairman of the Northwest Governors’ Forum, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has taken the region’s quest for lasting peace, economic recovery and development to the international community, urging stronger partnerships to unlock the vast potential of the seven Northwest states.
Radda made the appeal in New York, United States, during a high-level side event on the Northwest Peace, Security and Development Framework, where governors and development partners presented a common regional strategy for tackling insecurity, poverty, displacement and economic challenges.
The meeting brought together Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris and Sokoto State Deputy Governor Idris Mohammed Gobir, who represented Governor Ahmad Aliyu.
Representatives of the Federal Government, United Nations, development and financial institutions, civil society organisations and other international partners also attended the event.
Speaking on behalf of the seven governors, Radda said the framework marked a new chapter in regional cooperation, stressing that the challenges confronting the Northwest could no longer be effectively addressed through isolated efforts by individual states.
“This Framework does not belong to one Governor. It does not belong to the Chairman of the Forum. And it does not belong to the Secretariat. It belongs to the Northwest,” he declared.
According to him, although the seven states have distinct histories, priorities and strengths, their people and economies remain deeply interconnected.
He noted that markets, trade routes, agriculture and security concerns frequently cross state boundaries, making cooperation among the states essential to achieving sustainable results.
Radda illustrated the point with the Hausa proverb, “Tsintsiya madaurinki ɗaya,” explaining that a broom becomes stronger when its sticks are bound together.
He said the same principle could guide the Northwest, allowing each state to retain its identity while jointly confronting challenges that affect the entire region.
Security Must Create Space for Development
The Katsina governor acknowledged that insecurity remains one of the biggest obstacles to progress in the Northwest but argued that security operations alone would not deliver lasting peace.
He said unemployment, poverty, displacement and lack of economic opportunities must be tackled alongside security measures.
“Security must be accompanied by opportunity. Stabilisation must be accompanied by development. And public investment must create space for responsible private capital,” Radda said.
He outlined a vision of a region where farmers can increase production and access wider markets, young people acquire employable skills and establish businesses, women participate fully in economic activities, while communities affected by insecurity rebuild their lives with dignity.
Radda further urged international development partners and financial institutions to support regional funding mechanisms capable of attracting investment into underserved communities.
He also called on private investors to look beyond the security narratives surrounding the Northwest and examine its enormous economic potential.
“To the private sector, we say: look again at the Northwest. Look beyond the headlines. Look at the people, the markets, the productive sectors and the opportunities that can be created when governments coordinate,” he said.
The governor, however, acknowledged that responsibility for implementing the framework rests primarily with the governors themselves.
He pledged stronger institutions, improved coordination and greater accountability, saying the success of the initiative would ultimately be measured by its impact on ordinary people rather than the number of meetings held or documents produced.
Radda said the real test would be whether communities become safer, livelihoods improve, children gain better opportunities, women and young people are included, and displaced families are able to return and rebuild.
“We do not claim to have all the answers. But we are willing to do the work. We are willing to learn. We are willing to reform. And we are willing to partner,” he said.
From Katsina Summit to New York
Earlier, Director-General of the Northwest Governors’ Forum, Maryam Musa Yahaya, explained how the regional framework emerged from the governors’ decision to address common challenges collectively.
She recalled that the process began in June 2024 when the seven governors met in Katsina State for the inaugural Northwest Peace and Security Summit.
Yahaya said the discussions initially focused on insecurity but soon revealed that security could not be separated from employment, livelihoods, displacement, investment and public confidence.
That realisation, she explained, transformed the conversation from what individual states could accomplish independently to what the entire region could achieve through collective action.
Throughout 2025, she said, the Forum, with support from UNDP and other partners, consulted governments, traditional institutions, civil society organisations, women, young people and communities across the region.
By March 2026, all seven governors had adopted the framework, providing the political foundation for implementation.
“We did not develop this Framework because we were coming to the General Assembly. We came to the General Assembly because we had developed it,” Yahaya said.
She stressed that the Northwest was not in New York seeking outsiders to solve its problems but inviting partners to join a region prepared to take responsibility for its future.
“Our message today is not: come and rescue us. Nor is it: come and solve our problems. Our invitation is much simpler: come and build with us,” she said.
Amina Mohammed: UN Ready to Partner Northwest
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, commended the Northwest governors for presenting a unified development plan.
She said stability in the Northwest has implications extending beyond the seven states, with consequences for Nigeria, West Africa and the wider Sahel region.
Mohammed also highlighted the region’s importance to Nigeria’s food security, citing the country’s 2022/2023 agricultural survey which showed that the seven states accounted for about one-third of maize and nearly two-fifths of rice recorded during the main farming season.
Beyond agriculture, she identified livestock, mineral resources, trade corridors and the region’s large youthful population as important opportunities for investment.
However, she stressed that these opportunities would require supporting infrastructure, including roads, electricity, skills development and access to markets.
According to Mohammed, lasting peace must also involve trusted justice systems, functional schools and healthcare facilities, stronger institutions, climate-resilient agriculture and employment opportunities.
“Every naira and every dollar invested in the Northwest is an investment in peace, and should be designed that way from the start,” she said.
She praised the governors for committing their own resources to the regional initiative, saying such ownership would give development partners greater confidence to participate.
Mohammed advocated a coordinated financing model involving state budgets, development assistance, international financial institutions and private-sector investment.
She disclosed that UNDP, through its Beyond Crisis Action Agenda, was developing a proposal for a Northwest-led Stabilisation-to-Transformation Programme and Financing Platform aimed at linking recovery, employment, institutional strengthening, development financing and responsible investment.
Focus on Displaced Communities
The UN deputy chief also drew attention to more than 700,000 people displaced from their homes across the Northwest, stressing that international support must ultimately translate into tangible improvements in affected communities.
She proposed a community resilience and social action arrangement under which communities could identify priority projects such as feeder roads, classrooms, markets and water facilities.
Mohammed emphasised that women and young people should have a meaningful role in deciding which projects receive priority.
She challenged the governors to identify an initial portfolio of projects capable of moving quickly from planning to implementation, while calling on development and investment partners to assist with project preparation, risk-sharing and long-term financing.
“The Governors have brought one plan for seven states to New York. Now all of us in this room need to help them deliver it,” she said.
She assured the Northwest governors of continued UN support, declaring: “The United Nations is with you.”
For Governor Radda, the New York engagement represents a renewed effort to reposition the Northwest as a region of opportunity rather than one defined solely by insecurity.
The challenge now is implementation, as the seven states seek to translate their shared framework into safer communities, stronger economies, increased investment and improved livelihoods.
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