The president’s felicitation is contained in a statement from the State House on Thursday.

“I congratulate the Governor of Kwara State, His Excellency Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, on his emergence as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), and the Governor of Imo State, His Excellency Hope Uzodinma, on his election as the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF).

“In the same vein, I also congratulate His Excellency Seyi Makinde, the Governor of Oyo State, and his Kaduna State counterpart, His Excellency Senator Uba Sani, on their elections as deputy chairmen for the two respective forums,” he said.

“Being called upon by their peers to lead them is a testament to the trust and confidence reposed in them by the governors,” President Tinubu added.

The president tasked the new leaders to use their tenures to advance the peace, unity and socio-economic development of the country and join hands with his administration to engender the Renewed Hope agenda.

“As chief executives of states, governors are critical to the overall success of our administration and the desire for a Nigeria that works for all.

“As an important fulcrum in our journey to a more prosperous and safe country, what states do or do not do matter a lot. I am therefore obliged to ask the new leaders to use their good offices to bring about a convergence of vision between the federal government, under my leadership, and governments at the state level.

“It is my prayer that you acquit yourselves diligently in discharging the responsibilities bestowed on you through this election,” President Tinubu added.

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Similarly, the forum has also tasked the Nigerian Communications , NCC, especially, the Universal Service Provision Fund, USPF, Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd, and  telephone companies to ensure that universal access and service of Information and Communication Technologies, ICTs are provided, especially in rural, un-served and under-served areas of the country before the 2023 general elections.

The governors, who met in Bauchi, Bauchi State, on Monday stated these in a ten point communique issued at the end of their meeting during which they  deliberated and reviewed the deteriorating state of the country’s democracy, the economic and security situation in the country.

Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who read the communique, said the forum identified with the need for a free, fair and credible elections in the country and called on the National Assembly to entrench electronic transmission of results of elections in the nation’s electoral jurisprudence.

In attendance were: Gov. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (Rivers); Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia); Gov. Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibom);  Gov. Douye Diri ( Bayelsa); Gov. Samuel Ortom (Benue); Gov.  Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta); Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu); Gov. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde (Oyo); Gov. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa); Gov. Godwin Obaseki (Edo); Gov. Bala Mohammed     (Bauchi); Gov. Darius Ishaku (Taraba) and Deputy Gov. Mahdi Mohd (Zamfara).

The PDP governors condemned the attempt to foist on all political parties, one method of conducting primaries, that is, by direct method only through the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

According to the forum, the direct method is prone to massive rigging, as evidenced by a situation where President Muhammad Buhari scored about 15 million votes in the 2018 APC direct primaries, only to score 15 million votes from the entire country in the 2019 general election.

The governors stressed that political parties, should be allowed to decide whether to use direct or indirect method of conducting primaries as part of internal democracy in political parties.

Again,  the PDP governors condemned the use of underhand tactics to arm twist some of their colleagues and other stakeholders to join the APC, a political party that has wrecked Nigeria’s economy, turned Nigeria into a killing field and has nothing to offer Nigerians, but misery and bad governance.

The forum lampooned President Buhari and APC for turning the Presidential Villa, that belongs to all Nigerians, into the new APC headquarters, where allegedly coerced PDP members were being paraded at intervals.

On the issue of the economy, the PDP governors admonished the APC federal government to collaborate more with state governments to stem the unemployment scourge affecting the youths of Nigeria, through technology and increased production in all fields of endeavour.

The governors advised the federal government to stop paying lip service on the Ease of Doing Business, as foreign direct investments have continued to fall partly due to obstacles placed on foreign companies wishing to invest in Nigeria.

“A glaring example is that of FACEBOOK who insisted on investing in Nigeria rather than Ghana, and is being frustrated by regulatory authorities.”

The PDP governors maintained it was time to bring the activities of bandits, kidnappers and terrorists to an end, through increased use of military equipment, traditional means of conflict resolution and technology for surveillance and the development of the political will to flush them out.

“Kidnapping, banditry and terrorism are not business ventures as claimed by APC, but heinous state crimes, that is destroying the Nigerian economy, the educational and social future of our children and causing significant social upheavals in society.”

The governors reiterated the need for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and other revenue generating agencies of government to strictly abide by the Constitution by remitting all their revenue less cost of production into the Federation Account as provided for by Section162 of the Constitution.

Furthermore, the governors enjoined all Nigerians of goodwill to take advantage of the ongoing registration of voters by INEC to register to vote, thereby arming themselves with the necessary tools in the struggle to rescue Nigeria from the APC maladministration.

“The general public, especially our youths and women are implored to use the opportunity of the PDP E-registration exercise which will kick off soon, to register as PDP members, while PDP members should update their membership electronically.

The forum thanked the chief host, Governor of Bauchi, Senator Bala Mohamed, for providing a conducive atmosphere for the meeting and for the huge difference he had made in provision of infrastructure and general welfare of citizens of the state.

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In a communique at the end of a security meeting between the governors, MACBAN and heads of security agencies on Monday in Akure, it was also resolved that grazing by under-aged herders was prohibited.

The governors in attendance at the meeting included Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi, Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa and Gboyega Oyetola of Osun.

Others were Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and former deputy governor of Osun, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, and Chairman, Nigeria Governor’s Forum, who read the communique, said that free range grazing must be stopped to avoid conflicts between farmers and herders.

Fayemi urged Miyetti Allah to embrace and be committed to modern breeding process by creating grazing reserves and practise ranching to prevent cattle roaming about.

The governor, who said MACBAN also sufferred insecurity and kidnapping, expressed confidence in peaceful moves by the states to engender security and economic opportunities in the country.

According to him, the order of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State was misconstrued and misrepresented by a section of the media, “as he only ordered those occupying the forest reserves in Ondo State illegally to quit.”

“No one has sent anyone away from any state or region but all hands must be on deck to fight criminality,” he said.

Akeredolu had issued a seven-day ultimatum last Monday for the eviction of herdsmen occupying the forest reserves illegally.

However, some sections of the social media had misinterpreted the order, and reported that the governor had issued an ultimatum for Fulani herdsmen to vacate Ondo State.

Earlier, Alhaji Muhammadu Kiruwa, National President, MACBAN, had urged his members to desist from grazing cows into farmlands, grazing at night and grazing by minors.

Kiruwa, who assured of the cooperation of MACBAN at all time, directed executive members of the association in every state to work with all security outfits to tackle crime.

In his remarks, AIG Olufemi Agunbiade of the Nigeria Police, Zone 11, Osogbo, urged people not to give crime any ethnic or religious colouration.

“Crime does not have religious or ethnic affiliations. A kidnapper is a kidnapper,” he said.

Source: NAN

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NLC had issued a warning that on Monday, it would embark on industrial action to compel the Federal Government to reverse the hike in the prices of petroleum and electricity in the country.

The meeting, according to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, in a statement issued by its Head, Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, would commence at 6.00 p.m. in Abuja.

The meeting, Bello Barkindo said, would find a way of addressing the bone of contention prompting the proposed industrial action.

The meeting, it was said, became very necessary to prevent the protest which might worsen the poor economic situation occasioned by COVID-19.

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Okauru, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, said that they would also undergo COVID-19 testing this week.

“We are taking this action following my exposure to Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State who announced that he tested positive to the virus.

“I attended different meetings of the NGF and the Nigerian Economic Council last week which were also attended by the governor.

“Consequently, my wife and I would be undergoing COVID-19 testing this week,’’ he said.

Okauru said further that all members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum secretariat that participated in the NGF would be observing self-isolation.

“We encourage all those who were invited to the NGF meetings for presentations to also do same.

“By our actions, we hope to encourage others who are exposed and not sure of their status to undergo self-isolation and make themselves available for the test, where applicable.

“At the NGF meetings, all necessary precautions as advised by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) were taken, but we cannot make any assumptions about our status.

“We will self-isolate and take the stringent measures possible to protect the public,’’ he said.

According to him, all the organisations to which his wife is affiliated had already begun work from home in line with earlier government directive.

Okauru, therefore, urged Nigerians to follow all NCDC guidelines for COVID-19 and stay except the workers of essential services.

Source: NAN

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The commendation followed a trip around the massive sites of the Dangote petrochemical refinery and fertilizer projects by Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his colleagues in the NGF.

The six-hour tour was led by the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who conducted the governors round the $12 billion projects initiated in 2016 to eliminate Nigeria’s dependency on imported petrochemical products.

The governors, led by the Forum chairman, Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said the tour was informed by the need to key into the Dangote’s vision and also learn about the progress of the projects. They pledged their support for the two projects, describing them as “growth energisers”.

Sanwo-Olu, who described the petrochemical facility as the “largest single construction site in the world”, said the completion of the refinery would fortify Lagos economy and create irreversible economic growth for the nation.

He assured that there would be smooth operation of the refinery whenever it fully took off, noting that the facility, sited within a Free Trade Zone had created multi-national investments.

He said: “It is massive development we are bringing to Ibeju-Lekki neighbourhood with the construction of Dangote refinery and Lekki Deep Seaport. There will be new comprehensive infrastructure we are bringing to this area. We are closing-in on two different road projects out of the Free Zone. One will go to Epe and the other one goes to Ijebu Ode.

“We have just done two strong alignments and we are finalising them. There will be massive infrastructure development around this place sometimes next year. It’s going to be a new ecosystem we are building in this.”

Fayemi said Dangote had inspired a new thinking and vision by embarking on the multi-billion dollar projects, noting that the petrochemical initiative had given hope to Nigerian citizens.

He said: “This is an inspirational initiative, which demonstrates the possibility where government can provide enabling environment for investment, just as our colleague in Lagos State has done for individuals that are serious-minded to excel.

“As Governors, we need to provide right incentives and ensure that infrastructural responsibilities are delivered on time. This will also not discourage Alhaji Aliko Dangote to discharge materials that can accelerate completion of this refinery project.”

Fayemi, on behalf of the governors, presented an appreciation letter to Alhaji Aliko Dangote for taking the risk to build the multi-billion dollar projects.

Responding, Dangote promised that his company would continue to invest in human capital and projects that would have direct impacts on Nigerians.

He appreciated members of the Forum for dedicating time to visit to petrochemical project sites.

He said the gesture would inspire more investment and growth across the country.

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The recognition is part of the Nigeria Portfolio Performance Awards for 2019 and was communicated via a letter signed by World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria and Africa Region, Rachid Banmessaoud.

The award recognises the performance of project implementation teams across the states and  federal institutions.

Banmesaoud in the letter, addressed to Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, said: “This is to congratulate you on your state’s commendable performance which led to winning the award for the Best Performing State under the National Urban water Sector Reform Project (NUWSRP 3) and third Best Performing State under the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP)”.

“We hope to leverage on the gains and outcomes of this event as we look forward to a deepened partnership in your state,” the letter from the World Bank added.

In another development, the Progressives Governors Forum, PGF, has also commended Ekiti State government for recording the highest number of initiatives in the Forum’s Development Initiatives tracking for the month of August.

The PGF in a letter signed by Mr Foluso Aluko, for the Director General, said Ekiti State led with 18 initiatives ahead of Nasarawa and Lagos which recorded 14 and 10 respectively.

The initiatives, according to the letter, spread across empowerment, job creation, health care, education, infrastructure, security, economy, agriculture and justice.

Governor Fayemi has however said that the state would continue to partner with development agencies and relevant institutions in the bid to ensure all round development in the state.

The governor who spoke at a meeting on the sideline of the United Nation’s General Assembly in New York, identified increase in social investments, rural and agricultural development as well as infrastructure and industrial development as some of the areas of focus in his administration’s plan to drive economic development.

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The governors according to the agenda of the meeting are also expected to discuss and review update on Primary Heath Care under One Roof, PHCOUR, and other health related matters.

They have on their agenda, UN General Assembly – Panel on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Climate Change; Feedback on Governors’ Meeting with African Development Bank (AfDB) and Chinese Investors.

Others are the forum’s one-day meeting with partners such as Debt Management Office, Joint Task Board and Nigeria Stock Exchange.

Expected to be presented to the governors at the meeting is the  “Transmission Company of Nigeria: Briefing on Transmission Expansion Plan and its potential impact in improving power supply in states.”

Other presentations include “Rotary International/ PolioPlus Committee – Sustaining progress made in polio eradication and managing Post-Declaration Relapse.”

Already in attendance at the meeting were the Chairman of the forum and Ekiti Governor, Kayode Fayemi, his Deputy and Governor of Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal.

Others were Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Umaru Fintri (Adamawa), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Willie Obiano (Anambra), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Godwin Obaseki (Edo).

Also present were Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Dairu Ishiaku (Taraba), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Emeka Ihedioha (Imo), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Aminu Masari (Katsina), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Babagana Umara (Borno) and  Cross River Deputy Governor, Prof. Ivira Esu.

Source:  NAN

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The NGF in a letter signed by Chairman and Governor of Zamfara, Abdulaziz Yari, and made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja, expressed “dismay and angst” over NFIU action as attempt to dabble into a matter that was beyond its mandate.

Yari accused the NFIU of “stoking mischief and also deliberately seeking to cause disaffection, chaos and overheat the polity.”

The NFIU, which was excised from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), set June 1, 2019, as the takeoff date of the new order, making it compulsory for all local council allocations to go straight to their respective bank accounts.

The decision is contained in a guideline released by the NFIU after a meeting with officials of commercial banks in Abuja.

Yari said in the letter, dated May 15, that the guideline was not only illegal but was also an attempt by the NFIU to show total disregard for the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended.

He said Section 7 (6) (a) and (b) of the Constitution conferred on the National Assembly (NASS) and the State House of Assembly, the powers to make provisions for statutory allocation of public revenue to the local councils in the Federation and within the State, respectively.

“Similarly, Section 162 (6) of the Constitution expressly provides for the creation of the State Joint Local Government Account (SJLGA) into which shall be paid all allocations to the Local Government Councils of the State from the Federation Account and from the Government of the State.

“Section 162 (7) of the Constitution goes on to canter on the NASS the power to prescribe the terms and manners in which funds from the SJLGA may be disbursed and in Subsection (8), the Constitution empowers the State House of Assembly to prescribe the manner in which the amount standing to the credit of the Local councils in the State shall be distributed.”

The governor said that nothing in the NFIU Act 2018 gave the unit the powers that it sought to exercise in the recently released Guidelines.

He added that in doing that, the Unit had acted in excess of its powers and in complete disregard to the constitution of the country.

“The so-called Guidelines are in our view an exercise in mischief-stoking and one calculated to cause chaos and overheat the potty. The Guidelines have nine (9) previsions including two (2) sections covering sanction, penalties. powers that they clearly do not possess.

“The NFIU in proposing far reaching guidelines of this nature ought to have consulted widely and carried all stakeholders along.”

Yari urged Buhari to call to order, Director of the NFIU, saying such “reckless guidelines had the potential to cause disaffection in the country.

He said that in principle the NFIU should concentrate on its core mandate of Anti-money Laundering (AML) activities and Combatting Financing Terrorism (CFT) as prescribed in the Act establishing it and should desist from encroaching on or even breaching constitutional provisions.

The NFIU, according to Yari, was the Nigerian arm of the global Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) once domiciled within the EFCC but now for the purpose of institutional location domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“This means the NFIU is only mandated to trace or track laundered money that finds its way into terrorism financing and report such to the nation’s security agencies.”

Yaro advised the NFIU that it should seek to comply with those standards on combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism and its proliferation as stipulated and not dabble into matters that were both constitutional and beyond NFIU purview.

“We invite Mr President to note that the Local Government is a creation of the Constitution and is neither a financial institution nor a Reporting entity and cannot be brought under the NFIU in the manner contemplated by the guidelines.

“Finally, Mr President may recall the role played by the Governors in getting the country out of recession and our contributions in strengthening the democratic experience In Nigeria.

“The NGF identifies with Mr President’s efforts to combat corruption, money laundering and terrorism amongst other social ills and will use our best endeavours in ensuring that our financial system is preserved through our concerted and individual efforts at fighting these ills.

“However, due process and constitutionalism are major planks in our journey to sustainable democracy.

“We appeal to Mr President to direct that the said Guidelines be disregarded in view of its unconstitutionality and total disregard for due process,” the petition read in part.

The letter was copied the Attorney General of the Federation, acting EFCC Chairman, Governor of CBN, Director General of DSS and the 36 State Governors. Source:  NAN

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