President Bola Tinubu in company of Vice President Kashim Shettima on Thursday at the State House met with the 36 states governors and the FCT Minister. The meeting agreed on common ground to address some of the challenges currently facing the country, especially the rising cost of food and insecurity.
After extensive deliberations, the president and governors agreed to work together to solve the problems and tackle the economic pressure being faced by the citizens.
Below are the major takeaways from what the president told the governors to do, as revealed by Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy.
1. On addressing insecurity, which is also affecting farming and food production, Tinubu made four major pronouncements.
A. More police personnel to be recruited to strengthen the force.
B. Tinubu informed the governors that the Federal Government will work with them and the National Assembly towards putting in place a mechanism that will engender state police instead of the vigilantes that are being used in some states.
C. The president charged the governors to strengthen their Forest Rangers and arm them to keep all the forest safe from criminals.
D. Modalities for state police and addressing security issues to be discussed further at the National Economic Council.
2. On the rising cost of food: The president directed that the state governments and federal government should collaborate to increase local food production. He advised against the idea of food importation and price control when local food producers should be encouraged to produce more food.
3. Tinubu advised governors to follow the example of Kano State in dealing with the hoarding of food for profiteering by commodity merchants. He directed the Inspector-General of Police, National Security Adviser, and Department of State Services to monitor warehouses hoarding food items across the country and stop merchant profiteering.
4. The president charged governors to pay attention to livestock development in their states and increase production, especially poultry and fishing products.
5. Tinubu pleaded with governors to ensure all salary arrears to workers, gratuities to retired workers, and pensioners are cleared as a way to put money into the hands of the people since states are now getting more monthly FAAC revenue. Spend the money, don’t spend the people, he urged the governors.
6. Tinubu implored governors to create more economic opportunities for the youth in their states to keep them more productively engaged.
