TheCable

Governors of the 19 northern states and traditional rulers are meeting in Kaduna over the security challenges bedeviling the region.

NAN reports that the two-day meeting, which started on Thursday, is also being attended by Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to the president; Lai Mohammed, minister of information, and Mohammed Monguno, national security adviser.

Others present are Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police, and Yusuf Bichi, director-general of the Department of State Services.

The participants are expected to discuss current security challenges in the region and youth unemployment.

Governors at the meeting taking place at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, include those of Plateau, Adamawa, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Jigawa and Katsina states.

The governors of Niger, Zamfara, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, and Kebbi were represented by their deputies.

At their last meeting on November 2, 2020, the northern governors set up two committees to push for statutory roles for traditional rulers and another one on youth and civil societies.

The committee on statutory roles for traditional rulers is chaired by Sidi Bage, Emir of Lafia, with two representatives from the national assembly; one from each of the three zones, and a minister as members.

The committee on youth and civil societies has Ahmad Bamalli, the Emir of Zazzau, as chairman, with one representative of elders, youth, women, persons with disabilities as members from each of the three zones.

The November meeting had backed efforts to regulate the spread of fake news through social media.