Northern govs set agenda for delegates

The Northern Governors Forum on Tuesday, urged northern delegates to the ongoing national conference, to ensure that the issues of security and the revenue allocation formula are given the required attention.

This was part of the decisions reached at the end of an emergency meeting of the forum, held at the Niger State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja.

In a communique read after the meeting  by the Chairman of the Forum, Babangida Aliyu, the governors agreed that the issue of insecurity was currently the most pressing of the challenges facing the North.

The communique partly reads, “The Forum noted that the National Conference was intended to provide a more inclusive and focused forum for candid discourse on the daunting challenges confronting the nation and its citizens, such as security, observance of the rule of law and corruption, amongst other issues.

“Therefore, the Forum came up with a common agenda that would put the northern delegates in a better position to tackle the interest and aspirations of the North and the nation at large.”

Members of the Forum also agreed to take the following actions:

“(Stress) the need to identify the culprits and sponsors of the Boko Haram insurgents and other insurgencies in other places.

“That all member states should establish a Security Trust Fund in their various states; and that member states should articulate a coordinated approach towards fighting insurgency in the North.”

They also said the recent visit by some of them to the United States of America, was aimed at building a veritable platform for  meaningful discussions and enhanced cooperation to address security, social, economic and governance issues peculiar   to states of northern Nigeria.

While answering questions on the sidelines of the event, Aliyu who later spoke in Hausa, said the issue of revenue allocation was also dear to his heart and those of his colleagues.

He said, “Today, the Federal Government takes 52 percent of the allocation while the states and local governments who are closer to the people, are left with the rest. This should change.”

Copyright PUNCH.