Yobe state Governor and Chairman of the Lake Chad Governor’s Forum Mai Mala Buni has chaired his first meeting with the Lake Chad Basin Commission at its headquarters in Ndjamena, Chad.
Mr Buni attached importance to Wednesday’s meeting saying, “today’s inaugural engagement between the Lake Chad Basin Governor’s Forum and Lake Chad Basin Commission is very special to me being the first since my emergence as the Chairman of the Lake Chad Basin Governor’s Forum, placing a greater responsibility on me to reinforce our collective resolve for peace, stabilization, and prosperity in our region”.
He noted that the outcome of the fifth Forum meeting in Maiduguri was built on the pillars of security, cooperation, humanitarian response, sustainable development, and climate resilience, underscoring our collective resolve to move from declarations to delivery.
“Among our major resolutions were the need to enhance the operational capacity of the Multi National Joint Task Force, deepen cross-border infrastructure development, mobilize finance through the Special Multi-Partner Delivery Fund and the Nexus Funding Facility, support community-based reintegration and reconciliation policies.
“The Forum also reaffirmed its commitment to tackling emerging threats such as youth radicalization, illicit arms trade, and ecological degradation. Notably, we welcomed the validation of the Regional Strategy for Stabilization Recovery and Resilience and the initiation of transformative projects such as the Support Project for the Restoration of the Ecological and Economic Functions of the Lake
Chad Basin aimed at promoting climate resilience, environmental restoration, and sustainable livelihoods in the Lake Chad Basin region and Early Warning System initiative, both of which the Lake Chad Basin Commission will anchor.
At this critical juncture, we must intensify our regional diplomacy and advocacy” he emphasized.
The Governor expressed his commitment to work closely with the Lake Chad Basin Commission, commending the federal government for working towards achieving the ideals of the commission
“l am pleased to inform the commission that His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has recently approved the reconstruction of key roads within the corridors, including the Dikwa–Ngala and Bama–Banki roads under the Dangote Tax Credit Scheme”.
“As a forum, we are focused on expanding the reintegration programmes and advocating the reinstatement of donor support to stabilization programmes, particularly in Niger Republic. These are not just national concerns, they are regional imperatives.
“As we deepen collaboration with Lake Chad Basin Commission, I urge the Commission to continue playing its central coordination role especially in harmonizing our investment efforts and strengthening mechanisms for joint monitoring and accountability.
” Finally, as the rainy season sets in, the need for collaborative efforts to strengthen security and empower our people with agricultural inputs to facilitate agricultural production for food sufficiency and security cannot over emphasized.
Therefore, we should explore the opportunities at our disposal to improve agricultural production and development among the member states to fast track economic growth” Gov. Buni urged.
Earlier, the Governor of N’Djamena Amina Kodjiana and the Executive Secretary Lake Chad Basin Development Commission, and Amb. Nuhu Mamman, commended Governor Buni for his commitment to actualizing the goals of the commission.
