Katsina State Governor and Chairman of the North-West Governors’ Forum, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has called for stronger cooperation among the region’s seven states as governors seek international partnerships to address insecurity and unlock the North-West’s economic potential.
Radda made the call in New York at a high-level side event on the North-West Peace, Security and Development Framework, where the region presented its common plan for peace, security and development to international partners.
According to a statement issued by the Katsina State Government, the event was attended by 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 Nigerian government, United Nations, development and financial institutions, civil society organisations and other partners also attended.
Speaking on behalf of the seven governors, Radda said the framework represents a collective commitment to addressing challenges that extend beyond individual state boundaries.
“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,” Governor Radda said.
He said that while the seven states have different histories, strengths and priorities, their populations, markets and economies are closely connected. He added that security challenges also cross state boundaries, making regional cooperation necessary for lasting solutions.
Radda used the Hausa saying “Tsintsiya madaurinki ɗaya” to illustrate the value of unity, saying each state can retain its identity while working with others to address shared challenges.
Radda links security to economic opportunity
The governor identified insecurity as one of the region’s most pressing challenges but said military and security operations alone would not guarantee lasting peace.
He said unemployment, poverty, displacement and limited economic opportunities must also be addressed as part of efforts to make communities safer.
“Security must be accompanied by opportunity. Stabilisation must be accompanied by development. And public investment must create space for responsible private capital,” he stated.
Radda said the regional plan is intended to create conditions in which farmers can increase production and access larger markets, young people can acquire skills and establish businesses, women can participate more fully in economic and public life, and communities affected by insecurity can rebuild with dignity.
He also pointed to the region’s population, agricultural capacity, natural resources and productive base as opportunities that require sound policies, stronger institutions, infrastructure and investment to be fully realised.
The governor called on development partners to engage with the North-West at the regional level and urged financial institutions to develop funding arrangements capable of attracting investment into underserved communities.
He also asked private investors to reconsider the region beyond the security challenges commonly associated with it.
“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.
Radda stressed that responsibility for implementing the framework ultimately rests with the governors themselves. He said they must strengthen institutions, improve coordination, ensure accountability and demonstrate that regional cooperation can deliver measurable results.
He added that the framework should not be judged by the number of meetings held or documents produced, but by whether communities become safer, livelihoods improve, children gain better opportunities, women and young people are included, and displaced families can rebuild their lives.
“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,” Governor Radda said.
Forum traces framework to 2024 security summit
Director-General of the North-West Governors’ Forum, Maryam Musa Yahaya, said the framework emerged from the decision by the seven states to stop treating shared challenges as separate problems.
Yahaya acknowledged the region’s challenges, including insecurity, poverty and displacement, but said they should not overshadow its history of enterprise, agriculture, trade and resilience.
“We refuse to allow a difficult chapter to become the title of our entire story. Our story did not begin with fragility, and it will not end there,” she said.
She traced the process to June 2024, when the governors met in Katsina State for the inaugural North-West Peace and Security Summit.
According to Yahaya, although the initial discussions focused on security, the governors soon recognised that insecurity could not be separated from livelihoods, jobs, displacement, investment and public confidence. That shifted the conversation towards what the seven states could achieve collectively and eventually led to the development of the regional framework.
She said the Forum, with support from UNDP and other partners, consulted governments, communities, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, women and young people throughout 2025 to ensure that the framework reflected the experiences and priorities of people across the region.
By March 2026, all seven governors had adopted the framework, providing the political backing required to move from planning to 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. We had done the work at home, we had agreed on a direction, and now the conversation must move from ambition to implementation,” Yahaya said.
Yahaya also acknowledged the role of United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed in supporting stronger regional cooperation and the development of the North-West Governors’ Forum and its Secretariat.
She said the next phase should put communities at the centre of implementation, particularly women, young people, farmers, entrepreneurs and families displaced by insecurity.
“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 pledges UN support
In her remarks, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed commended the North-West governors for presenting a common plan and speaking with one voice on peace, security and sustainable development.
Mohammed said stability in the region has implications beyond the seven states, extending to Nigeria, West Africa and the Sahel.
She also highlighted the North-West’s contribution to Nigeria’s food production. Citing the country’s 2022/2023 agricultural survey, she said the seven states accounted for around one-third of reported maize production and close to two-fifths of reported rice production during the main farming season.
According to Mohammed, the region’s livestock, mineral resources, trade routes and large youthful population provide a base for investment, particularly when supported by roads, electricity, skills and market access.
She nevertheless said lasting stability requires more than security operations, pointing to the need for trusted justice systems, functioning schools and health facilities, stronger institutions, climate-resilient agriculture and jobs.
“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.
Mohammed commended the governors for committing their own resources to the regional plan, saying the decision demonstrates ownership and gives development partners a basis for contributing.
She called for better coordination of funding, with state budgets providing initial capital, development assistance supporting institutions and project preparation, international financial institutions providing long-term financing, and businesses contributing technology, markets and investment.
She further disclosed that UNDP, through its Beyond Crisis Action Agenda, is developing a proposal for a North-West-led Stabilisation-to-Transformation Programme and Financing Platform intended to bring together recovery, jobs, stronger institutions, development financing and responsible investment.
Mohammed also highlighted the more than 700,000 people displaced from their homes in the North-West, saying regional funding must ultimately produce practical improvements in affected communities.
She proposed a community resilience and social action arrangement through which communities could identify their priorities and receive support for projects including feeder roads, classrooms, markets and water facilities, while stressing that women and young people should have a strong voice in determining those priorities.
The UN deputy secretary-general also urged the governors to identify an initial list of projects that can be delivered and called on development and investment partners to support project preparation, share risks and provide financing that can expand with the programme.
“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,” Mohammed said.
She assured the governors of the organisation’s support, declaring:
“The United Nations is with you.”
Radda, in his closing remarks, said the seven states remained prepared to work, learn, reform and partner with institutions that share their ambition for lasting peace and development.
The statement was signed by Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Katsina State, and dated September 22, 2026.
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