Governors to meet with Presidential Council over post-COVID-19 challenges

The 36 states governors are to meet on Wednesday with representatives of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) to work on ways to address various challenges facing states in view of the impact of the COVID -19 on their economies.

Daily Times understands that at the meeting the governors, will strategize on their participation in the forthcoming summit of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), scheduled for October 26 and 27, 2020.

Spokesman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo said, in a statement, that both issues formed key items on the agenda of the forum 17th teleconference meeting planned for 2pm on September 16, 2020.

Bello-Barkindo said “The two conversations are geared towards preparing the state governors for their post-COVID-19 recovery plans and ensuring that, maximum impact of the reforms is felt by the sub-national populace.”

He said information about the meeting and its agenda are contained in the invitation sent to governors by NGF’s Director-General, Mr. Asishana Bayo Okauru.

The statement reads in part: “The governors will rub minds with the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, represented by its chairman, Bismark Rewane to x-ray the management of state economies, their challenges, opportunities and policy solutions.

“Rewane had chaired the committee when it resolved the gridlock on minimum wage between states and their workers about a year ago.

“He will be making one of the two presentations scheduled for tomorrow’s meeting.

“The sub-national economy will again feature prominently as it will be come up again when the governors discuss their participation in a summit organised by the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, NESG, which is due to take place, a month from now, precisely on the 26th and 27th of October 2020.

“The NGF is partnering with the NESG to organise the summit, which is more of an NGF-NESG roundtable than anything else, because governors are featuring very prominently in each of the 26 segments of the roundtable and its plenaries.

“The meeting will start at 2 pm but Governors are, as usual, allowed access into the virtual conference from 1 pm.

“Also, to feature in the meeting, are several updates. For example, apart from the regular updates on the SFTAS project, which is usually handled by the NGF’s State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainable (SFTAS) Program Manager, Lanre Ajogbasile and the Governor Okowa Committee, which is mandated to interface with the Presidential Task Force on the pandemic, the conclusion of the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) Flag-Off and distribution of palliatives will be revisited just as the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) Update will be given.

“Away from the economy and COVID-19, the governors will receive information and discuss the security situation in the country, giving particular attention to Zamfara State.

“The Vice Chairman of the NGF and Governor of Sokoto Staten Rt Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, is also expected to give an update on Executive Order #10.

“All the 36 governors are expected to join the meeting.”