Rather than bother themselves with social media, here are 10 resolutions the recent Northern Governors Forum should have passed at its Kaduna summit

Ayo Akinfe

(1) We are committed to bridging the educational gap between northern and southern Nigeria over the next 15 years. As a result, every governor will spend at least 20% of his annual budget on education

(2) Every governor will ensure that there is at least one technical college in each local government area of his state. The goal is to achieve 100% vocational skills training by 2030

(3) By 2035, each state must be able to not only fund its own running costs but also generate at least an extra $1bn in export earnings

(4) We shall establish six mega cattle ranches across northern Nigeria. Each ranch will be part of a complex that include abbatoirs, leather tanning factories, animal feed compounders, leather good manufacturing facilities, training colleges and veterinary clinics

(5) We shall immediately abolish Sharia law across northern Nigeria as it is putting off foreign investors

(6) Hisbah’s role will change into that of a state security force. Its immediate task will be to eliminate the scourge of banditry, kidnapping and armed herdsmen. Each state will seek to establish such a force

(7) We will ask the federal government to establish a Border Agency with a specific mandate to make policing the borders of northern Nigeria a top priority

(8) We commit to passing state by-laws punishing membership of Boko Haram with the death penalty with no right of reprieve

(9) To help heal the wounds of division currently so prevalent in the country, we support moves to remove Arabic inscriptions from our naira notes. We see this as vital to easing the ethnic tension currently bedevilling Nigeria

(10) In the interest of fairness and equity, we will recommend that come 2023, the next president of Nigeria should come from the southeast geo-political zone