Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The 10th teleconference meeting of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is expected to focus on progress report on the refunds to states on Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) deductions, restructuring of states’ loans as well as issues bothering on the World Bank Cares programme.
It will also discuss Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) distribution of palliatives and reimbursements for construction of federal roads to Rivers, Bayelsa, Ondo, Osun and Cross Rivers.
According to a statement issued by the NGF’s Head of Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the committee on review of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, chaired by Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, will submit its report for endorsement.
The Committee was set up at the last NEC meeting in March 2020.
The governors will also receive memoranda from various groups including a statement from the Nigeria Governors Spouses Forum, headed by wife of the chairman and governor of Ekiti State, Bisi Fayemi, on violence against women and children and of course rape.
The Inspector-General of Police is also expected to brief it on the Police Trust Fund just as the Women Affairs Minister, Mrs Pauline Talen will interface on critical gender issues including rape and sexual violence.
Meanwhile, in the midst of sustained controversy, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) has insisted that the presidential Executive Order No: 0010 is sacrosanct as it was issued to deepen democracy from the grassroot and ensure effective implementation of the doctrine of separation of powers.
In a statement yesterday, Malami explained that the action of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is governed by the provisions of the nation’s constitution.
In the said statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Gwandu, Malami said the re-enforcement of the constitutional provisions on the autonomy of the state legislature and judiciary as contained in Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution necessitated the Executive Order 10.
Malami said the governors have agreed to the constitutionality of the autonomy of the state legislature and judiciary maintaining that the essence of the Order was to see to the implementation of the autonomy.
Malami said the Executive Order implementation Committee will incorporate valuable submissions from Governor’s Forum and other stakeholders with a view to seeing practicable implementation of the Executive Order.