Inuwa Seeks Academics’ Input To Tackle Northern Challenges

Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NNGF), Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has called for greater collaboration between government and academics to tackle insecurity, out-of-school children, food insecurity, and other challenges confronting Northern Nigeria.

Yahaya made the call at separate engagements with senior academics and women Islamic scholars from across the North in Abuja at the weekend.

The engagements, organised by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Kabir Masari, were held under the theme, “Consolidating the Renewed Hope Agenda: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Achievements and the Road to 2027.”

The governor, who is also Secretary of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, said the region could not overcome its multifaceted challenges without harnessing the knowledge, experience and expertise of its intellectual community.

He identified insecurity, the growing number of out-of-school children, food security, vocational education, peaceful coexistence and farmer-herder conflicts as areas requiring sustained attention and collective action.

On insecurity, Yahaya acknowledged the challenges facing the region but said there had been a gradual improvement since the emergence of the Tinubu administration.

He urged stakeholders to strengthen collaboration with the government to consolidate the gains and achieve lasting peace.

On the out-of-school children crisis, the governor urged academics and other experts to deploy research- and evidence-based approaches to develop sustainable solutions.

“We need to join our understanding with your perspective to deal with this situation,” he told the academics.

Yahaya also advocated greater investment in vocational education, saying skills-based training would equip young people with practical competencies, improve employability and promote self-reliance.

On farmer-herder conflicts, the governor called for greater commitment to peaceful coexistence, noting that Northern Nigeria’s diversity should be regarded as a source of strength rather than division.

He commended President Tinubu for establishing the Ministry of Livestock Development, describing the initiative as a bold policy capable of transforming the livestock sector and addressing longstanding farmer-herder conflicts.

“We need to benefit from your knowledge,” Yahaya told the academics, urging them to deploy their research, expertise and institutional experience to support national development.

At the separate engagement with women Ulamas, organised in collaboration with the Muslim Intellectual Forum, the governor said Islamic women scholars had important roles to play in promoting peaceful coexistence, responsible parenting, moral values and social cohesion.

He said the consultations would be extended to other states across Northern Nigeria to deepen communication and mobilisation around the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Earlier, Masari said the engagements were designed to provide a structured platform for the government to consult regularly with critical stakeholders.

He said the meeting with academics was not primarily political but aimed at harnessing their knowledge, research and expertise to address the country’s challenges.

According to him, mechanisms would be developed to ensure that academics are regularly consulted on policy and national development issues.

The engagements were attended by political and government leaders, including the governors of Kaduna, Borno and Yobe states, former governors of Katsina and Zamfara states, serving ministers and other senior government officials.

Communiqués containing resolutions reached at the two sessions were presented at the conclusion of the engagements.