The North-East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) has called on the federal government to revive stalled oil exploration activities in Borno State, even as it commended President Bola Tinubu for the ongoing revival of the Kolmani oil drilling project in Gombe State.
The appeal was part of a communiqué issued at the conclusion of the 13th regular meeting of the NEGF, held at the Borno Government House in Maiduguri on Saturday.
The two-day summit, which ran from October 2 to October 3, 2026, brought together governors and top officials from the six North-eastern states—Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe—to deliberate on regional security, economic integration, and infrastructure.
Reading the communiqué, the Forum’s Vice Chairman and Governor of Adamawa State, Hon. Umaru Fintiri, urged the federal government to revisit petroleum exploration activities that had earlier commenced but subsequently stalled in the Magumeri and Gubio Local Government Areas of Borno State.
The host Governor, Babagana Zulum, Governors Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa and Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe attended the meeting, while the governors of Bauchi, Taraba and Yobe states were represented by their deputies.
The governors expressed deep appreciation to President Tinubu for renewed federal attention on key regional infrastructure projects.
These include the Port Harcourt–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe–Maiduguri rail corridor, frontier oil exploration at Kolmani, and the Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe–Biu–Maiduguri Highway.
Reflecting on its six-year journey since its inaugural meeting in Gombe in March 2020, the Forum touted regional unity as its most significant achievement, enabling a collective voice that has driven tangible developmental results.
On energy, the governors praised member states for shifting toward a regional energy agenda, highlighting the Dadinkowa hydropower plant, which now feeds the national grid, and encouraged states to leverage the new electricity law and abundant solar resources to expand mini-grid solutions.
Also, the forum reiterated its call on the federal government to expedite the completion of the long-neglected Mambila Hydropower Plant, following the recent clearance of legal encumbrances through an arbitration ruling.
To ease transportation costs and stimulate economic activities, the Forum announced a partnership with Green Ville Energy to establish more Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) stations across the region.
The forum also acknowledged the federal government and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) for providing 10,000 electric tricycles, 10 electric buses, and 300 electric taxis set to launch in October, alongside plans to float a North-east regional air shuttle service to facilitate faster movement of people and goods.
While acknowledging appreciable successes in the ongoing fight against insurgency—and praising the sacrifices of the Armed Forces—the Forum noted that the subregion still faces daunting humanitarian and infrastructural hurdles.
The governors reaffirmed their commitment to intelligence sharing, inter-state security cooperation, and addressing the root socio-economic drivers of youth exploitation by extremist elements.
Recognising that the North-east holds one of the youngest populations in the country, the Forum pledged to prioritise quality education, vocational and entrepreneurial training, and technology-driven employment for youth.
The governors also called on the NEDC to ramp up investments in education, expedite long-awaited scholarship awards for indigent students, reduce the number of out-of-school children, and support Tsangaya education.
To combat environmental degradation, the region agreed to partner with the Institute of Forest Research to train local forest experts and counter deforestation.
The forum announced that its next meeting will be held on December 18–19, 2026, in Gombe State.
At the event, Governor Zulum disclosed that the forum had raised ₦10.8 billion in counterpart funding to launch a regional air shuttle, as a step toward establishing the proposed “North East Airline”.
He stated that the balance of the counterpart fund will be remitted before the end of the month to enable the immediate rollout of the flight operations.
“The establishment of the North East Air Shuttle is a significant step towards improving connectivity within the sub-region, and we look forward to the commencement of these operations soon,” Mr Zulum said.
“To this end, ₦10.8 billion has been realised as counterpart contributions from the governors of the North-east region. Insha Allah, the remaining counterpart funds shall be received before the end of this month, this year, with a view to actualising our dream of having the North East Air Shuttle.”
He urged member states to consolidate their commitments and work in unison to ensure the smooth take-off of the regional carrier.
Among the dignitaries at the meeting were Borno Deputy Governor Umar Usman Kadafur; APC governorship candidate Mustapha Gubio and his running mate, Ali Isa Abdullahi; APC Deputy National Chairman Ali Bukar Dalori; and Borno APC Chairman Bello Ayuba.
Members of traditional councils from across the region also attended, led by the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Umar Garbai El-Kanemi.
