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Tinubu’s, Governors agree on six common grounds

….Spend the money, not the people, he urged the governors By Sony Neme

President Bola Tinubu in company of Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House met, on February 15, with the 36 States Governors and the FCT Minister. The meeting agreed on common ground to addressing some of the challenges currently facing the country especially the rising cost of food and insecurity.

After extensive deliberations the president and the governors agreed to work together to solve the problems and tackle the economic pressure being faced by the citizens.

This six key takeaways from the meeting, as disclosed by the president’s spokesman, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, in a statement made available to the media, were expectedly on insecurity, rising cost of food items, and the need for governors to deal with profiteers. Other critical areas addressed were for governors to pay more attention to agriculture, payment of salaries and more attention on economic activities for the youths.

On insecurity, which is also affecting farming and food production, President Tinubu reportedly made three key pronouncements, which included the recruitment of more police personnel to strengthen the force; governors were informed of the Federal Government resolve to work with them and the National Assembly towards putting in place a mechanism that will engender state police instead of the vigilantes that are being used in some states.

Modalities for State Police and addressing security issues to be discussed further at National Economic Council, just as the President charged the Governors to strengthen their Forest Rangers and arm them to keep all the forest safe from criminals.

On rising cost of food, the statement reads thus: “The President directed that the state Governments and Federal government should collaborate to increase local food production. The President advised against the idea of food importation and price control when local food producers should be encouraged to produce more food.

“President advised Governors to follow the example of Kano State in dealing with hoarding of food for profiteering by commodities merchants. He directed the Inspector-General of Police, National Security Adviser, Department of State Security Services to monitor warehouses hoarding food items across the country and stop profiteering by merchants.

“President charged Governors to pay attention to livestock development in their states and increase production most especially poultry and fishing products. He pleaded with Governors to ensure all salary arrears to workers, gratuities to retired workers and pensioners are cleared as a way to put money into the hands of the people since states are now getting more monthly FAAC revenue. Spend the money, don’t spend the people”, he further urged the governors

Mr. President did not forget the teeming youths as he implored Governors to create more economic opportunities for them in their states, so as to keep them more productively engaged.

Sony Neme

I hail from Delta State in South South Nigeria. I was born in Kano State and raised in the defunct Bendel State and Lagos State. A graduate of Political Science from the great University of Ife, Osun State. I started my media practice with my first publication in September 1989 with a Kano State based weekly soft sell, NewsFirst, before moving to Classique Magazine, wheee ibserved till 1996 before joining ThisDay Newspapers on April 14, same year. I left ThisDay after nine years and ten months as a line editor, and showbiz editor of The Glitterati, a uniquely packaged pull out colourful pages from ThisDay on Sunday. Next port of call was at the Guardian Newspapers, where i edited the entertainment pages of Saturday Guardian, from where I joined New Telegraph newspapers as a pioneer Assistant Editor in 2013. Again, in 20I8 I was back to The Guardian as government house correspondence, Asaba, Delta State. I left after three years to start publishing a regional newspapers, the Bayelsa Times, in September 2021. I am presently based in Abuja. I am presently the Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of The Seal Media Group. Publishers Hensard Times daily online newspapers and Bayelsa Daily.

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