The Nigerian Governors’ Forum has expressed concern about the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, urging all parties to reach an agreement.
The forum applauded the Federal Government for abandoning its previous position and sanctioning academic unit members to reach an amicable settlement so that students could return to school.
The NGF chairman, Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, made this known to journalists after a meeting of the forum at the newly commissioned NGF Secretariat on Wednesday in Abuja.
Governor Fayemi stated that the forum also “examined the issue of flooding across the length and breadth of the country in which some states were severely affected and decided to take necessary steps to ameliorate the conditions of the states affected by flooding via a strong representation to the president led by the chairman, vice chairman and the interim vice chairman of the NGF.”
He further explained, “The forum examined issues relating to the proposed privatisation of the power project and took the decision that the NGF opposed to the sale of any of the plant until appropriate steps have been taken that will take interest the states that are also equity holders in those plants.
“We note with considerable pleasure the decision of the court headed by Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court that reversed the decision to grant Panic Alert one of the so-called consultants that were trying to lay their hands on the $418 million Paris Club Refund to which we are strongly opposed as the NGF.
“The court has reversed its decision and this will be the second matter in addition to the one against Risk at the Supreme Court.”
The governor added, “The NGF has continued to remain very interested in the constitutional reform process that is going on.
“The forum deliberated on the concurrence at the level of the state and commended our colleagues in the Northern Governors’ Forum and the northern traditional rulers for coming to the same conclusion that the NGF has reached on the need for state policing as a very critical component of the new constitution that is going to come up.”
NGF noted the election of the forum’s chairman as the president of the Forums of Region in Africa and the decision to take the vice chairman, Aminu Tambuwal, to act as the chairman of the forum pending the time of the full election in May, 2023.
Fayemi appreciated his colleagues for their cooperation for over three years as the chairman.
He pointed out that the body has served Nigerians as a non-partisan forum of governors where issues are debated and decisions are reached without any bias for partisan concern or interest.