The thirty- Six State Governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF will meet tomorrow to brainstorm on President Muhammadu Buhari’s Executive Order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and judiciary at the state level. The governors who will be holding their 9th teleconference meeting since the lockdown that resulted from the outbreak of the Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic, are expected to come up with a position on the Executive Order.
President Buhari signed the Executive Order into law on Friday last week. Recall that the federal government has given a very strong warning that any state government which withholds funds meant for their respective Houses of Assembly and judiciary would get their allocations deducted at source by the Accountant General of the Federation and remitted directly to the affected state organs.
The invitation to the governors intimating them of the meeting was issued by the Director-General of NGF, Asishana Bayo Okauru. The governors are also expected to discuss follow ups from the last NEC meeting.
According to a statement by the Head of Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the governors will be given an update on the Covid19 pandemic in the country as well as review a letter from the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on Covid19 as it relates to the Covid19 draft regulations.
There will also be a general update on the efforts of the Coalition Against Covid-19, CACOVID. The statement read, “Governors of the 36 states will be holding their 9th teleconference meeting since the lockdown that resulted from the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic. “The meeting, which is taking place tomorrow Wednesday 27th May 2020, at 1400 hrs will, like eight others before it, have in attendance all the state governors via Microsoft Team from their various states.
“Among the issues to be reviewed are a number of critical national questions that revolve around the financial autonomy for the states’ judiciary and legislature code-named the Executive Order 10, 2020.
“The governors will also touch issues around the NLNG ownership, the controversial NCDC Bill, the restructuring of states’ loans and the FAAC deductions which have been a recurring decimal on the governors’ table. “As usual the governors will be given an update on the Covid19 pandemic in the country as well as review a letter from the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on Covid19 as it relates to the Covid19 draft regulations.
“There will also be a general update on the efforts of the Coalition Against Covid19, CACOVID. “The invitation which was issued by the Director-General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr Asishana Bayo Okauru also disclosed that the meeting will discuss follow ups from the last”
By Henry Umoru,
Vanguard