Gov Lawal Seeks Unified Northern Agenda on Security, Economy

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has called for a unified front among the 19 northern states to tackle the region’s security and economic challenges, stressing that collaboration is essential for sustainable development. Lawal made the call while chairing the opening session of the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialization Summit held recently in Abuja. The […]

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has called for a unified front among the 19 northern states to tackle the region’s security and economic challenges, stressing that collaboration is essential for sustainable development.

Lawal made the call while chairing the opening session of the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialization Summit held recently in Abuja.
The event, organised by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) under the leadership of Professor Ango Abdullahi, was themed “Unlocking Strategic Opportunities.”

The summit brought together key stakeholders from across the northern region to deliberate on strategies for unlocking the region’s economic potential through investments in mining, agriculture, and power.

“By convening this gathering under the theme ‘Unlocking Strategic Opportunities,’* you have once again demonstrated a clear-eyed focus on our collective future,” he said, adding that “the choice of sectors; Mining, Agriculture, and Power is not accidental. It is a strategic diagnosis of the core pillars upon which the prosperity of Northern Nigeria must be built.”

The governor lamented the paradox of the North’s vast mineral and agricultural wealth amid widespread poverty and underdevelopment, saying the region must now focus on transforming its potential into prosperity.

“The key question for us as leaders is not what needs to be done, but how we can collectively turn potential into prosperity,” he said. “To attract necessary investment and industrialize our region for the nation’s benefit, we must move beyond rhetoric and adopt a new approach of collaboration” he added.

The Zamfara governor highlighted his state’s ongoing reforms in the mining and agricultural sectors, noting that his administration is formalizing mining operations, promoting mechanization and agro-processing, and expanding access to credit for farmers.

“In Zamfara, our commitment is clear. We are moving from a past of informality and illegality in the mining sector to a regime of formalization, regulation, and value addition,” he said. “We are revitalizing our agricultural sector and creating the secure and stable environment that is the bedrock of it all”, he said.