From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Following the recent killing of over 43 rice farmers in Borno State, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), have resolved to meet President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to address security challenges across the country.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, in a communiqué made available to the media, said they also resolved to support the necessary reforms that will result in a police force that works for all.
“As an immediate to medium-term measure, members agreed to pay close attention to the conduct of police officers across the country in order to get them and other internal security operatives fully back to work as they have not been functioning to full capacity since the EndSARS protests with the attendant security exposure to the safety of lives and properties of the ordinary citizens”, the communiqué stated.
The governors according also endorsed two proposals for infrastructure development funds’ loans. The proposals were from Nasir El Rufai’s led National Economic Council (NEC) Adhoc Committee on Leveraging Portion of Accumulated Pension Funds for Investment in the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), and the Governor of Central Bank Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
It noted that the El-Rufai committee briefed the Forum on a proposed National Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF) under the auspices of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) such that a total sum of N2 trillion at nine per cent interest could be accessed through the NSIA.
The NGF Chairman noted that the CBN Governor had a similar proposal to access N15 trillion naira for national infrastructure funding through INFRACREDIT at a lower interest rate of five per cent.