Governors To Partner With FG To Address Food Security Challenges

The 36 state governors have reaffirmed their commitment to partnering with the federal government in harmonizing levies, eliminating illegal checkpoints, and facilitating the smooth movement of goods across Nigeria.

This resolution came following a meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) held in Abuja. The forum’s communiqué was signed by NGF Chairman Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State and presented by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.

According to Sanwo-Olu, the governors discussed various national issues during the meeting, with particular focus on the escalating cost of food.

“The forum received a briefing from the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, accompanied by the ministers of defense, agriculture, livestock development, and transportation, on the rising cost of food and livestock transportation across the country.

“The presentation revealed that the proliferation of checkpoints, illegal taxation, and poor infrastructure are key contributors to price inflation and inefficiencies in the food supply chain.

“The NSA noted that a high-level inter-ministerial committee has been established to address these concerns and has submitted its recommendations for the endorsement of the forum.

“Governors acknowledged the urgency of the matter and expressed commitment to collaborate with federal authorities to streamline levies, dismantle unauthorized checkpoints, and improve the movement of goods across states,” he said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu further disclosed that the forum also received an update from the World Bank regarding the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme. He noted the governors’ concern over unmet funding commitments under the initial phase of the initiative.

He said, “The Bank highlighted that states made significant investments totalling over US$2.2 billion through the NG-CARES delivery platforms, with verified impacts reaching over 17 million direct beneficiaries.

“Governors expressed concern over the non-fulfillment of funding pledges by the bank under NG-CARES 1.0.

“The forum emphasized the need for an amicable resolution between the World Bank and participating states to conclude the first phase of the program before advancing to NG-CARES 2.0, which is designed to build long-term resilience for vulnerable households and enterprises,” he said.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the meeting, which concluded in the early hours of Thursday, was attended by governors from Kwara, Oyo, Imo, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Osun, and Plateau.

Other attendees included governors of Lagos, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Kogi, Ondo, Cross River, Ogun, and Edo States. (NAN)