State governors, under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), met with the new Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, and demanded a prompt resolution of outstanding fiscal issues critical to the states’ planning and budgetary stability.

The governors, who acknowledged ongoing reform initiatives in the country’s economic, education, and agriculture sectors, disclosed that the NGF’s secretariat has developed a state police framework in anticipation of proposed constitutional amendments.

These were revealed in a communique issued at the end of the NGF’s meeting held on Wednesday night in Abuja, signed by its Chairman and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, but read by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.

According to the communique, the governors received a comprehensive briefing on current fiscal developments from Oyedele, which “covered trends in the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), revenues, ongoing tax reforms, and the broader effort to strengthen revenue mobilization across all tiers of government.”

“Governors underscored the imperative of restoring confidence in fiscal management systems and called for the timely resolution of outstanding fiscal matters, which remain critical to subnational planning and budgetary stability.”

The governors, who also discussed reforms to broaden the taxpayer base, improve compliance, and ease the burden on basic consumption, reaffirmed their commitment to working in close partnership with Oyedele to advance shared fiscal objectives in the interest of all Nigerians.

The state executives, who noted the NGF’s secretariat’s proactive development of a state police framework in anticipation of proposed constitutional amendments, explained that the framework outlines key readiness requirements, including governance structures, financing models, human capital standards, digital systems, and oversight mechanisms.

After a presentation from the Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, on the priorities shaping the Federal Government’s education agenda, the governors assured him of their continued support.

The governors reaffirmed their collective commitment to working in close partnership with the Federal Government to advance the shared objectives discussed, including expanding access to quality education and ensuring that resources reach the communities that need them most.

They approved the establishment of the NGF Academy & Leadership Centre as a new Directorate within the Secretariat, designed as a flagship platform for subnational leadership development.

According to them, the academy will integrate executive capacity building, applied research, governance advisory, and peer learning to support all 36 states.

“Governors welcomed progress towards its operationalization and reaffirmed their support for the initiative as a strategic resource for strengthening governance across the federation.”

“The forum noted progress on the NGF States Agribusiness Investment Programme (SAIP) – Rice Helpdesk, supported by the Gates Foundation, aimed at strengthening state capacity to drive improvements in rice production and value chain development.”

“Governors acknowledged the importance of addressing sector-wide institutional, market, and financing constraints and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting implementation at the state level to deliver measurable outcomes in food security and agricultural productivity,” part of the communique read. (The Nation)

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