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NGF in strategy talks with MDAs, donor agencies on reforms

By on October 15, 2015

Ahead of the meeting the National Economic Council on Friday, the  Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has met with strategic government agencies and development partners on ways to advance the proposed reforms and supports to states of the federation.
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, the Governor of Zamfara State and Chairman of the forum, Abdulaziz Yari

said the meeting was meant to let governors understand what the agencies and development partners were doing to enable them know how to assist them in the interest of the nation and the people.
“We are supposed to take eight presentations today, but because of time constraint, we were able to take the United Nations Populations Funds (UNDP) and World Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Health,” the NGF chairman said.
Yari added that the World Bank in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health revealed to the governors that there were certain funds which the states could not access due to lack of expertise.
He disclosed that the interaction with the World Bank and the health ministry opened their eyes to how they could access $500 million to develop the health sector.
He said: “There are funds from the World Bank which states cannot access because we don’t know how to move it forwards a result of lack of expertise. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health briefed us on how we can access the $500million in that area.”
He said the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu briefed the governors on its current programmes for Nigerians, issues of oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism, gas development and the way forward.
He added that the presentations would continue with other government departments and agencies to keep governors abreast on their workings and how to move the country forward.
The governor stressed that developing the NNPC was critical, adding that it would ensure the development of the country’s economy since oil was its major source of income.
Yari added that the NNPC Group Managing Director had promised the governors that the cooperation would now begin to meet the expectations of Nigerians. “The GMD promised us that we are going to see a different NNPC that would fund the country’s economy fully without questions of pipeline vandalism and oil bunkering.
“This, the GMD said is being taken care of,’’ the NGF chairman said.
He added that the possibility of using technology to protect government infrastructure especially oil pipelines, should be explore rather than using the military.
Yari, however, said it was regrettable that there were lot of funds the states could access from the World Bank which most state governors were not aware of.
This, he said, was revealed by the World Bank during its presentation to the forum.
Also speaking in an interview,  Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State described the presentations at the meeting as timely, informative and educative on how to drive governance and economy of the country.
“They told us the current position of things, where we are presently and where we envisage to be and I think it is very good for us particularly as we will be having the National Economic Council meeting on Friday,’’ Amosun said.
Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, said from all indications, it would no longer be business as usual with the operation of NNPC.
“NNPC is planning to be more business oriented; they are downsizing and is starting from the top management. They are likely too in the next few months to unbundle some of their companies by the Nigeria Gas Company.
“They are going into more gas development. They are going into more oil production to take care of the fuel scarcity in the country,” Okowa said.
Commenting on the meeting, Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said “We now have a renewed confidence that we now have a corporation that is run like a business outfit, good corporate governance and transparency.
“Having listened to all the presentations, we are excited that the President is providing the right leadership and GMD is at home with the issues.”
His Oyo State counterpart, Abiola Ajimobi, said: “We must first and foremost commend the President for the initiative in bringing us together to interact with various companies, that is NNPC, international development partners who are showing us all the opportunities available for each state to leverage upon.
“I think that for the first time in the history of my own being a governor, this is a very commendable effort.”
He added that the governors were in partnership with the reforms in the NNPC.
Governors of Delta, Edo, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Zamfara, Sokoto, Osun, Ogun, Bauchi, Kano, Bornor, Taraba, Yobe, Jigawa, Katsina and Kaduna among others attended the meeting.

 

[ThisDay]