UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed says restoring peace in Nigeria’s North-West geopolitical zone has implications far beyond Nigeria.
Mohammed spoke at a high-level UNGA81 side event on the Northwest Peace, Security and Development Framework in New York.
The initiative brought together the seven Northwest states under a common strategy for peace, security, resilience and sustainable economic development.
“When this region is stable, Nigeria, West Africa and the Sahel are more stable too,” the UN deputy chief said.
“In July, I told the ECOWAS Heads of State that silencing the guns across Africa begins in West Africa.
“I would add that much of that work begins right here, in these seven states,” she said.
She commended the seven Northwest governors for presenting a common regional strategy for peace, security and sustainable development.
Thr UN deputy secretary-general said every naira and dollar invested in Northwest Nigeria should be regarded as an investment in peace.
She warned that military and security operations alone could not deliver lasting stability without jobs, functioning institutions, schools, healthcare and economic opportunities.
“Everyone in this room knows there is no peace without development. Security operations are necessary but they can only take us so far,” she said.
Mohammed commended the governors for setting aside individual state interests and presenting a unified regional agenda.
“It is a pleasure to hear seven states speak with one voice,” she said.
Mohammed also underscored the Northwest’s strategic importance to Nigeria’s food security.
She said the seven states accounted for about one-third of Nigeria’s reported maize and nearly two-fifths of rice production during the 2022-2023 main agricultural season.
According to her, the region also possesses considerable livestock, mineral resources, trade corridors and a large young population capable of driving economic transformation.
“With roads, power, skills and access to markets, those assets can become processing plants, modern livestock value chains, responsibly developed mines and local firms hiring young people,” she said.
Mohammed urged investors and development partners to see the Northwest not merely through the lens of insecurity but as a region of significant economic opportunity.
She described the framework as a political compact by the governors and an invitation to partners to help convert agreed priorities into measurable results.
The Deputy Secretary-General directed UN agencies to organise their interventions around the governors’ framework rather than pursue fragmented programmes.
She said UNDP was developing a proposed Northwest-led Stabilisation-to-Transformation Programme and Financing Platform to support implementation.
She, however, stressed that regional financing would mean little unless resources eventually reached vulnerable communities.
More than 700,000 people have been forced from their homes across the Northwest, highlighting the human consequences of insecurity and instability.
The seven Northwest states are Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.
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