The Forum chaired by Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, called for proactive measures in confronting the flood and robust sensitisation of settlers along the flood plains.

While commending progress in the fight against insurgency, the governors expressed concern that insecurity, displacement, and poverty are being compounded by emerging challenges, highlighting forecasts from credible climate agencies predicting imminent floods that could devastate the subregion.

The governors appealed to the Federal Government and the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) to act swiftly to reconstruct bridges and other critical infrastructure already weakened by past flooding.

On food security, the Forum decried the rising cost of agricultural inputs, warning that poor harvests and hunger could hit in 2026 if no intervention is made.

“To avert impending food crises ahead, the Forum calls for more subsidies to farmers and robust preparation for dry season farming,” it added.

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The governors also reaffirmed their commitment to addressing energy poverty in the subregion and directed the Power and Energy Committee to develop a subregional power master plan, with solar energy identified as a priority solution.

In a bid to stimulate economic recovery, the Forum announced that the North-East Trade Fair will be held in Maiduguri, Borno State, in collaboration with the North-East Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NECCIMA).

Additionally, the governors congratulated the University of Maiduguri on its upcoming golden jubilee and pledged support for both the 50th-anniversary celebrations and the relaunch of its Endowment Fund in November.

Source: Punch

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 In a poignant address at the Child Malnutrition Media Dialogue in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, UNICEF Chief of Borno Field Office, Tushar Rane,  highlighted the escalating severity of child malnutrition in the region.

 The event, held in commemoration of the World Humanitarian Day under the theme #ACTForHumanity, aimed to mobilise media partners and stakeholders to take decisive and immediate action to combat this critical issue, which jeopardises the lives and future of millions of children.

Child malnutrition, particularly in the conflict-ridden northeast, has reached alarming levels. Rane pointed out that approximately 2.8 million children under five, along with pregnant and lactating women, PLWs, are in desperate need of preventative nutrition services across the BAY states—Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

If left unaddressed, it is estimated that 1.7 million people, including 206,779 PLWs, will suffer from acute malnutrition by 2024. According to the 2023 Lean Season Nutrition and Food Security Surveillance, NFSS Round 13, the prevalence of Global Acute Malnutrition, GAM, among children under five years old stands at 10.2 per cent in Borno, eight in Yobe, and four per cent in Adamawa. These figures translate to 511,807 children under five suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition, SAM, yearly, requiring urgent intervention to save lives.

UNICEF has taken the lead in responding to this crisis as the primary partner for the Nutrition Sector in the northeast. With 46 partners, including international and national non-governmental organisations, INGOs and NNGOs, UNICEF supports nutrition activities across the region. There are 765 Outpatient Treatment Programme, OTP, sites treating children with SAM without medical complications, and 50 Stabilisation Centres, SCs, for those with medical complications.

However, only 63 per cent of the 714 wards in the BAY states provide nutrition services, highlighting a significant gap in coverage. UNICEF, in collaboration with donors such as the United Kingdom Government, UKAid, and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ, has been working tirelessly to bridge this gap.

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