President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, said Federal and State Governments must have the mutual responsibility of ensuring the country’s peace and stability.
Tinubu stressed the need for closer collaboration between the governments to foster rapid infrastructural development nationwide.
The president made this call when he received state governors under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum at his residence in Lagos.
He said, “I want us to discard federal, state, or rural road classifications.
“We must regard development as a joint responsibility. Let us prioritise our children.
“The school feeding programme must return quickly, beginning from the local government to the state and federal governments.”
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed this in a statement he signed on Tuesday, titled ‘President Tinubu to governors: we have shared responsibility to ensure nigeria’s peace and stability.’
The meeting comes hours after the Forum’s secretariat denied any crisis in its ranks as alleged by its former director of Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Barkindo.
Barkindo had in a leaked letter to the NGF Chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara State, accused the Forum of waxing more transactional than developmental and its accounts had not been audited for a decade.
But in a statement he signed on Monday, the legal director of the NGF, Chijioke Chuku, dismissed Barkindo’s allegations of corruption.
At Tuesday’s meeting with the governors, the president reiterated his condemnation of the latest killings in Plateau State.
Tinubu reiterated the directive to security agencies to “halt the carnage in Plateau State and intensify the pursuit of those responsible for the recent tragic events in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas.”
Condoling the victims, he emphasised the sanctity of human life and called for a change of mind among those with contrary beliefs, cautioning them about the unavoidable consequences of their actions.
He said, “Nigeria needs peace and stability to move forward. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and we have to take care of it.”
President Tinubu acknowledged the presence of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State at the meeting, commending him for his efforts to peacefully resolve the political challenges in the state.
He said, “I thank you for your statesmanship. I listened to your broadcast and your emphasis on peace.
“It is only with peace that effective governance can thrive, and governance has commenced in earnest under my watch.”
On the 2024 Budget proposals before the National Assembly, Tinubu informed the governors that he had a review meeting earlier in the day on certain elements in the Appropriation Bill, with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu.
The NGF Chairman, Abdulrazaq, expressed solidarity with the government and the people of Plateau State, saying, “May God be with the souls of the departed and bring peace to Plateau State. The Governor of Plateau State, we are with you; stay strong.”
Abdulrazaq reaffirmed state government’s support for the bold decisions and reforms initiated by President Tinubu’s administration.
“These are challenging times. It is not a walk in the park.
“Removing fuel subsidies had a great structural effect on the economy of the states.
“But we are confident that we will overcome these challenges and bounce back better,” he said.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
