…As flood-ravaged states get N3bn
The Federal Government on Wednesday gave states which are yet to make their submissions on the establishment of state police until Monday, September 9, to do so.
The Federal Government also warned that the nation’s food supply challenges have been further aggravated by flooding that has affected about 28 states.
The government decried the states’ inability to make submissions on the creation of state police, about 8 months after the approval.
Bayo Lawal, acting governor of Oyo State, stated this while briefing State House journalists, after the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), on Wednesday.
Lawal disclosed that NEC, comprising the 36 state governors, reviewed the state of insecurity across the country and resolved to fast-track the establishment of state police.
He, however, noted that the four states of Adamawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kwara and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), were yet to make submissions on the establishment of state police, approved by President Bola Tinubu in February 2024.
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“We have given the four states and the FCT until Monday next week to make their submission, failure to do so; we will go ahead with the plans without their submissions.”
“An update on the establishment of state police was considered and this was as a result of the security challenges that we have across the nation in northeast, north-central, southwest, southeast and south-south so that we would have robust security in our nation.
“For that purpose, sometime last year, NEC considered the establishment of state police and asked states to make submissions of considerations
“Today, all the states were supposed to submit for consideration of the NEC. Incidentally, four states couldn’t submit for that purpose.
“NEC decided that those states must make their submissions on or before Monday, September 9, otherwise, whatever decision NEC takes on the establishment of state police is binding on those states that refused to make submission
“So, that is the resolution in today’s NEC meetings.”
Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State, in his remarks, said the nation risked food supply shortfalls following the high level of flooding that has affected about 28 states
He, however, disclosed that each of the food-ravaged states would receive N3bn windfall to assist them in ameliorating the suffering of those affected by the flood.
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He disclosed that the NEC established a special committee on flooding to articulate and submit reports of what would be needed to assist the states by Monday, next week.
The governor of Nasarawa Abdullahi Sule, said the council established a governance structure to ensure the interventions would not be ad-hoc.
“The flood committee has to be reconstituted and the new members of the councils are governors of Kogi, Bayelsa Oyo, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Jigawa states.
Others are the minister of Water of Resources, minister of state Water of Resources, minister of State for Environment, director-general of Nigeria Sovereignty Investment Authority (NSIA); director-general of NIMET; managing director/CEO, NIWA, managing director of NNDC, among others.
The council decided that Monday would be the deadline for all the states to submit detailed damages, including farms, schools, and barges that have been affected by the last flood.
Mohammed Pate, minister of Health and Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare, while speaking on the briefing by Bill Gates, said the American billionaire assured the country of his plans to assist Nigeria in strengthening its state of nutrition.
