Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday said the United States Government had indicated commitment to support the Northern states in job creation, solid mineral exploration and enhancement of girl-child education.
Shettima stated this while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting between the visiting U.S Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry and selected governors from the northern region in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the U.S. expressed readiness to assist the states in strengthening their agricultural sector, health care system, promote renewable energy and gender empowerment.
“We had very fruitful cross-pollination of ideas with the U.S Secretary of State, John Kerry and his team,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the governor as saying to journalists at the end of the meeting.
“The issues that we discussed are on the areas of enhancing the well-being of our people and in ensuring stability in the Nigerian nation.
“We discussed about the issues of the insurgency and other security challenges in Northern Nigeria.
“But fundamentally, we made him to realise that underneath the mayhem and nihilism of the Boko Haram lie extreme poverty.
“We called on him to come with the American support in the areas of job creation, largely in the area of agriculture, mining and education, which is absolutely essential for the take-off of any society.”