Chairman of Northern Governors' Forum (NGF) and Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, has expressed concern over high level degradation in the Niger Delta.

The NGF made known its stand during Behavioural Change Communication Training for state animal health communication focal persons at Gidan Matasa, Minna.

The Governor, who described developments in the Niger Delta as saddening, said the high level neglect of the region was unacceptable, especially going by the huge resources government had pumped to develop the area.

He said it was time all Nigerians irrespective of regional, religious or tribal inclinations to join hands with the Federal Government to bring lasting solution to decline in the region in the overall interest of country.

Aliyu, who was represented at the ceremony by the Secretary to the Government, Dr. Mohammed Kuta Yahaya, advised: "We should all not just groan but use everything available to us to arrest the situation because it affects all of us as Nigerians."

The governor also noted that there was the need to involve communication experts more in the affairs of the country since they were in position to reach out to the public better and faster, stressing that if adequate intervention was not put in place in the area of health (animal and human) that the nation stands the risk of retrogressing in all aspects of its existence, while other nations of the world are progressing.

The governor therefore challenged the workshop to recommend workable suggestions to the government on how to move the sector forward for the nation to be able to tap from the benefits therein.

In his address, Director of Federal Department of Livestock and Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr Junaid Ahmed Maina, said the workshop was organised to strengthen the communication capacities within all the states of the federation.