The 7th Quarterly Meeting of the Secretaries to the Governments of the All Progressive Congress-controlled states commenced in Abeokuta on Thursday with a focus on enhancing policy implementation.
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, who declared the event open, said the meeting was the brain-child of the Progressive Governors Forum.
Amosun said the meeting had since become a veritable platform for peer review among the APC-led states.
He added that it had also continued to provide an opportunity for brainstorming, networking and sharing of experiences to enhance oversight and implementation of decisions and policies among the APC-led states.
“Since the inaugural Quarterly Meeting in Lagos State on 16th and 17th March, 2017, the focus has been on the critical objective of facilitating the adoption and implementation of policy initiatives across all APC states in line with the social democratic philosophy of our great party,” he said.
The meeting, according to Amosun, is expected to focus on setting enabling framework for implementation of PGF’s policy briefs on education, security, Internally-Generated Revenue and health sector.
He expressed hope that the meeting would provide an opportunity for cross-fertilisation of ideas and create synergies for improved and workable solutions to the challenges of the sectors.
“It is my sincere belief that you, our guests, will have a few tips to take home from our success story here in Ogun.
“As you continue in your deliberations at this meeting, I urge all of you to avail yourselves of the opportunity to share with one another lessons, ideas, experiences and challenges from our respective states,” he said.
A former Secretary to Ogun government, Alhaji Sarafa Ishola, who attended the opening ceremony, described the role of SSGs as “pivotal” to their respective governments.
Ishola, who noted that there was no such platform during his tenure, urged the SSGs to ensure sustenance of the platform for the benefits of the APC- controlled states.
The meeting is expected to end on Friday with the issuance of a communique.
