APC governors meet over dwindling oil revenue OCTOBER 21, 2013 BY OLUSOLA FABIYI 19 COMMENTS Members of the All Progressive Congress Governors Forum are meeting in Abuja on Monday (today) to deliberate on dwindling oil revenue, which has led to the reduction of what each state get from the Federation Account. The meeting, which ought to have been held in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital on Thursday, was shifted till Monday (today) in order to have majority of the governors in attendance. Our correspondent learnt that some of the governors were still attending to visitors, who visited in respect of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration. The Monday meeting will also discuss how to establish the structure of the party across the country. The governors’ deliberation on this, it was learnt, would be based on the report submitted to them by the national leadership of the party on how to have a rancour-free State Working Committee in all the states. The meeting of the governors is to hold in their newly-opened office at Asokoro District of Abuja where its Director-General, Mr. Salihu Lukman and other members of staff have since assumed duty. Lukman, who confirmed Monday’s meeting and agenda, told our correspondent in Abuja on Sunday that the governors would also look for ways of tackling both the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Federal Ministry of Finance on the sharing of revenues accruing to the Federation Account. “The progressive governors are meeting on Monday. That I can confirm. I can also tell you that part of the agenda is the dwindling oil revenue and how to establish party structure,” he said. It is however not known who would likely preside over the meeting. This is because the Forum has promised to operate without a substantive chairman. Unlike the rival Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio as chairman, the APCGF, said that it would operate without a chairman. Rather, it says the host governor of its meeting, which it says shall rotate among its 11 governors shall serve as the chairman at that particular meeting. The brochure of the newly-formed Forum, which was obtained by our correspondent in Abuja, spelt out the goal and objectives of the Forum. On its structure, it promises “To give effects to the objectives and principles of the PGF, there shall be monthly meetings of all Progressive Governors. Consistent with the principles of promoting political solidarity, meetings of progressive governors shall rotate among states governed by progressive governors and the host governor shall serve as the chairman.” The eleven governors in the Forum are Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Kashim Shettima (Borno); Adams Oshiomhole (Edo); Rochas Okorocha (Imo); Raji Fashola (Lagos); and Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa). Others are Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo); Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe) and Abubakar Yari (Zamfara). Lukman said that the Forum would support and facilitate the process of leadership orientation for APC structures at all levels in the country. The brochure of the Forum also indicates that its goal is to mobilise all APC state governments to facilitate accelerated human development through undertaking policies and programs to improve quality of life of citizens, eradicate poverty and create jobs in the country. It also promises to organise all APC governors to commit themselves to specific policy actions in their states.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 05:51:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015