The 36 state governors under the aegis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) will on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, deliberate on various national issues including economy, Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) deductions and refunds, the ongoing restructuring of state loans and the outstanding infrastructure refunds to five states, namely: Bayelsa, Cross River, Ondo, Osun and Rivers.
Other issues to be discussed at the 11th teleconference meeting include: update on the Covid-19 strategic plan and Presidential Task Force (PTF) Report, update on National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), World Bank’s States’ Financial Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme, among others.
According to the invitation issued by the NGF Director-General, Mr Asishana Bayo Okauru, on Monday, several crucial national questions would be addressed by the governors, prominent among which revolve around health, the economy and infrastructure.
“After brokering the suspension of industrial action by the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the governors are expected to review the doctors’ grievances in order to tackle the problem towards ensuring that the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), return to work and provide their services in a convivial working atmosphere.
“Also expected to feature in the NGF meeting is a presentation on the update of the Covid-19 strategic plan by the Health Minister, Dr Osagie Ohanire.
“Another update on the NGF’s committee of governors mandated by the Forum to interface with the Presidential Task Force on the Covid-19 pandemic, headed by Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State, will also be brought before the Forum, for review.
“Recall that governors have been in the forefront of the struggle to get Nigeria off the global polio map which finally materialised a couple of weeks ago, the report of which will be placed before them at the meeting, to accord them the chance to adopt new strategies of maintaining the polio-free status of the country.
“On the economy, governors will be looking at the FAAC deductions and refunds, the ongoing restructuring of state loans and the hanging infrastructure refunds to five states, namely Rivers State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Ondo and Osun States.
“The National Economic Council (NEC) agenda will also be brought for consideration along with Governor Nasiru el-Rufai’s committee’s report to the NEC which the Governors will ratify before it is presented at NEC.
“The World Bank will also feature prominently at the 11th Teleconference as the States’ Financial Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme which the Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki and Yue Man Lee of the World Bank have been driving will request the consent of the Governors to launch a new e-procurement initiative.
“Other briefs will revolve around the World Bank Cares initiative and an update will be tabled around the request for additional financing that states have been seeking from the World Bank, the invite from the director-general indicated,” NGF’s Head of Media & Public Affairs, Mr Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo said in the statement.
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