Benue State governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, has emphasised the need for multidimensional approach and synergy in the fight against insecurity in North Central Nigeria.
Governor Alia disclosed this on Saturday while speaking at the 1st North Central Zonal Stakeholders Meeting of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
He said Benue State and, indeed the whole of North Central is infested with insecurity which has spread to the point that within the North Central today, people are speaking about food insecurity.
The governor also talked about unity of purpose among North Central governors and party stakeholders.
He expressed hope that the meeting in Lafia would help foster further meetings where they can find solutions to their problems.
Gov Alia further said Benue State is experiencing relative peace now but he was willing to do more to ensure that absolute and permanent peace is returned to the state.
He said he is seeking the possibility of having a North Central Security Summit where ideas will be cross-fertilised on a broader spectrum on how to address insecurity challenges in the region.
Governor Alia thanked the Federal Government for the attention given to Benue State especially in the areas of security and road infrastructure and pledged his willingness to continue to stand with his party and work for its success at all times.
Earlier, the North Central Zonal Coordinator and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq thanked the APC Stakeholders for their contribution to the success of the party in the last elections and appealed to them to continue working hard to guarantee the success of the party in the next elections.
The chairman of the occasion and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, George Akume, who also represented President Bola Tinubu at the event, said the North Central has played key roles in the formation of political parties in the country and has worked very hard for the success of APC.
He highlighted the major appointments given to the North Central so far, saying they were looking forward to more, just as he appealed to all stakeholders in the zone to maintain unity and share values of commonality and interest for the success of the party.
In his remark, the APC National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje said the North Central Zonal Stakeholders Meeting was part of the reform system that was effected in the party, and called on all party stakeholders to ensure that the party remains functional and operational in their areas.
The governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, during his welcome address, called for peace and unity in APC in the North Central.