12 northern states governors hosted in White House as they seek US foreign investment

TWELVE governors from across northern Nigeria are currently in the US where they were recently hosted at the White House as part of a plan to seek investment aimed at generating jobs across the region and regenerating the economy.

 

Across northern Nigeria, the collapse of the economy has had a huge impact on the fabric of society, leading to thousands of youths being disenfranchised. This has led to many of them taking up arms, joining terrorist sects like Boko Haram and allowing themselves to be used to carry out violent attacks across the country.

 

In a bid to address the problem, the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) has organised a trip to Washington in search of investment. They said their visit was an opportunity to re-engage with their American partners on the most vital issues that could help them to quickly transit from volatility to a phase of peace and development.

 

Borno State governor Kashim Shettima, the NSGF chairman, said: “By the time we wake up tomorrow, print, online and broadcast media houses in Nigeria would have screaming headlines, that 12 northern governors storm Washington in the midst of economic recession, when our national currency, the naira, has sharply depreciated against the US dollar. Majority of our citizens will quickly conclude that we are here on a jamboree.

 

"Well, leadership isn’t only about popular decisions, leadership is about doing what is right at a time that is right. Our visit to Washington is an opportunity to re-engage with our American partners on the most vital issues that can help us to quickly make transition from volatility to a phase of  peace and development in the northern states of Nigeria."

 

He added that over recent years, they have realised that the indices of development across northern Nigeria have not only been some of the most damning in our country, they have also been the background against which the problems in the region have manifested.  During the reception, the governors held a closed-door meeting with President Barack Obama’s national security adviser Ambassador Susan Rice.

 

They also held a closed-door meeting with US secretary of state, John Kerry at the State Department in Washington. In addition, the governors also held a meeting with Gayle Smith, the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development.