Govs Begin Legal Procedure Over Financial Autonomy Order

… Backs FG On Reopening Of Economy

… To Approach FG Over AfDB $1Billion COVID-19 Intervention Fund

By Matthew Ogune, Abuja

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has constituted a legal committee that will engage with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to reflect on the implications of the recently passed Executive Order 10, 2020 on governance at the sub-national level.

NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi disclosed the development in a communique issued at the end of the forum’s ninth teleconference meeting.

According to Fayemi the team nominated by the forum to engage with the AGF comprised of the Governors of Sokoto, Plateau and Ondo States respectively.

Fayemi said: “The NGF Legal Committee comprising the Governors of Sokoto, Plateau and Ondo, will 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.”

The governor noted that the forum has resolved to Interface 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 the pandemic, in such areas as health emergency assistance, agriculture and food security.

This decision he said resulted from a 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.

Adding that members pledged continuous 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.

He further disclosed that governors have 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.

He continued: “The NEC Ad-Hoc Sub-Committee on COVID-19 comprising the Governors of Kaduna (Chairman), Kebbi, Ebonyi, Ogun, Nasarawa, Edo, and Jigawa, will 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.”