The thirty-six States Governors under eagis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has interfaced with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, on the $1 billion COVID-19 crisis facility approved for the country at the request of the Federal Government by the African Development Bank (AfDB), to embark on the delivery of projects that will meet the needs of Nigerians during this period, in such areas as health emergency assistance, agriculture and food security.
The Chairman of the Forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State stated this in a communique issued at the end of the 9th COVID-19 Teleconference Meeting of the Nigeria Governors Forum held on Wednesday deliberate on the COVID-19 Pandemic in the country.
Governor Fayemi said the Forum would Continue engagements with CACOVID to consolidate interventions on the distribution of palliatives to vulnerable Nigerians who have lost their means of livelihood as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the communique, the NGF noted that it has endorsed the development of a 3-month plan on reopening the economy by the NEC Sub-Committee that will interface with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 comprising the Governors of Delta (Chairman), Ekiti, Lagos, Anambra, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau and the FCT Minister;
The NGF chairman, Dr KayodeFayemi hinted that through the NEC Ad-Hoc Sub-Committee on COVID-19 which comprise the Governors of Kaduna (Chairman), Kebbi Ebonyi, Ogun, Nasarawa, Edo, and Jigawa, would interface with the Economic Sustainability Committee chaired by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, to incorporate the contributions of State governments in the Economic Sustainability Plan as a national response to the COVID-19 crisis; and
Through the NGF Legal Committee which comprises of the Governors of Sokoto, Plateau and Ondo, engage with the Attorney General of the Federation to reflect on the implications of the recently passed Executive Order 10, 2020 on governance at the Sub-National level.
Earlier, the NGF Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi had briefed States’ Governors on coordination activities with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, multilateral and bilateral partners, and the private sector through the Coalition against COVID-19 (CACOVID) that are targeted at improving the COVID-19 response of State governments.
“We received brief from Ebrima Faal, Senior Director of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Nigeria on the $1billion COVID-19 crisis facility and update from Zouera Youssoufou, Managing Director and CEO of The Aliko Dangote Foundation on activities of the CACOVID”,he added.
By Saheed Badmus