By Sunday Ani
Governors of the 17 southern states will today meet in Lagos to discuss issues which directly affect them in the polity.
The meeting being hosted by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is being held at the State House, Alausa, Ikeja.
This is coming few months after a similar meeting was held by the governors in Asaba, Delta State, where far-reaching decisions including the ban on open grazing of cattle were made.
Speculations are rife that the meeting might not be unconnected to the Federal Government’s insistence to resuscitate cattle routes and grazing areas, which were used in the First Republic.
The 17 southern state governors had unanimously agreed at the Asaba meeting in what has popularly become the ‘Asaba declaration’ that open grazing of cattle should be banned in every part of Southern Nigeria.
Other resolutions were the call for the convocation of a national dialogue, demand for restructuring to create state police, review revenue allocation formula in favour of the sub-national units, and practice of true federalism as well as demand that appointments into the Federal Government agencies must be reviewed in line with the principle of Federal Character among others.
As the governors meet to deliberate on various nagging issues affecting the zone, particularly the Federal Government’s move to rubbish their position on open grazing, stakeholders have warned them not to allow Nigerians perceive their meetings as mere gatherings where empty threats or resolutions are made.
They urged the governors to involve representatives in the National Assembly, and state Houses of Assembly as well as seek collaboration of socio-political organisations to be able to achieve their aims and objectives.