The governors of the South West region met in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital on Monday and agreed to exercise a closer monitoring of Federal Government’s allocations to their states in agriculture, for the benefit of the states.
The governors said in a communique at the end of their meeting that they would set up a committee on Federal Government allocations in agriculture to be accessed for regional benefit.
According to them, they would also set up a desk in Abuja dedicated to the achievement of this aim.
In the 17-point communique, the governors said they would “set up a Committee in Federal Government allocations in agriculture to be accessed for regional benefit. The Commission to set up a dedicated desk for accessing Abuja – An Abuja situation office.”
In the communique, read by the host Governor Ayodele Fayose, they said the governors were “unanimous in addressing the declining moral standards and would put in place structures to manage the loss of values and virtues in the society,” and added that the first step was “a quality assurance and morality framework as a critical part of regional education.”
They said: “One centre each is to be donated by the governments of the states of Western Nigeria as Regional Centre of Excellence,” he said. Governor Ambode of Lagos also showed commitment towards making his state a critical stakeholder and critical part of Odua Investment group.
They also announced that the governors adopted the South West Regional Integrated Commercial Agriculture Development Programme (RICARD), with Lagos to champion a structured regional food exchange programme.
“We also approve the report of the sports development strategic plan of action for southwest Nigeria. Lagos was carefully chosen to host of DAWN inter-collegiate games to strengthen the bonds and competitiveness among the youth in the region.
“States were also mandated to design modalities to key into the proposed rail project as a primary driver of inter-modal transportation system for the whole region,” they stated.
Governors Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos; Rauf Aregbesola of Osun; Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo; Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo were at the meeting while Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ògùn State was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga.
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