Yahaya gave the charge at the inauguration of the North East Secretaries to the State Governments meeting, on Friday in Gombe.
He said the prevalence of drug abuse, its negative impact on public health and safety underscored the need for all hands to be on deck to curtail the menace.
The governor said that his administration in collaboration with NDLEA and other stakeholders had scaled up a campaign aimed at tackling drug abuse in society.
He said that drug abuse propelled crimes in the region, adding that the forum would evolve proactive measures to address the menace.
“As you have all converged here, I urge you to join hands with the relevant agencies and explore the wealth of experiences you have to combat this ugly trend in the region.
“There is no better time than now for all relevant stakeholders to rise and join the crusade to make our region and Nigeria a better and safer place, especially for the youths, who are the leaders of tomorrow.
“We must do everything possible to curb the influx of narcotics and illicit drugs into the region,” the governor said.
This, he said, would help in the fight against insurgency, adding that drug abuse aided terrorism and other nefarious activities.
He further urged community and religious leaders to report any breach of peace to security agencies.
In his remarks, Sen. Mohammed Abba-Aji, Director-General, North East Governors’ Forum, said the synergy between the governors was yielding positive results towards addressing social and economic challenges caused by the decade-long insurgency in the region.
The DG, represented by Mohammed Yusufari, Director, Planning and Strategy of the group, called for more collaborations to rid the region of criminal activities.
Earlier, Prof. Abubakar Njodi, Chairman of the forum, said the meeting was sequel to directives by the North East Governors during their last session in Damaturu, which decried the unfortunate rise in drug and substance abuse.
Njodi, who is also Secretary to the Gombe State Government, said that the participants would deliberate and fashion out strategies to check the spate of drug abuse in the region.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was attended by the SSGs, heads of security agencies, and NDLEA drwan from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, and Taraba States.
